Never Let Go
by missbrielle
Summary: Sequel to Price of Freedom. All is well in the fair kingdom of Arendelle. Elsa's marriage to Kristoff is quickly approaching, and Anna quickly makes a new friend, or could he be something more? However, a mysterious dark force comes to Arendelle searching to replace a loved one that she lost. AU Frozen. Dark!Elsa. (Elsa x Kristoff) (Anna x OC)
1. Chapter One

**Welcome! **

**If you haven't read the prequel to this story, go check it out! (Price of Freedom) **

**Here is where I reply to reviews that readers like you (yes you!) leave behind. :D**

**Prettyprincess45: Thanks! :D**

**taylorjago: Actually, I totally forgot about that until I read this, so thanks for reminding me! Thank you for the kind words! :D When I was little, I wanted to be a writer. But times change, and dreams do too. "Well that's the good part, I guess. You get to go find a new dream." (Threw in a bit of Tangled in there.) :)**

**Asteroth1: Thank you for coming along for the ride! :D I look forward to seeing you around here. :)**

**psalty: Thanks! I've never really gotten into them, but they seem interesting. :)**

**T-bone: Alright! :)**

**Deep Metal: Oh my goodness, thanks so much for the feedback! :D As for the thing with Hans restraining Kristoff, I wanted to show how much shock Kristoff was in. He was so out of it that he just sort of gave up. :\ As for cocky Hans, at that point Hans was sorta going a bit mental. Everything's going wrong for him, and he's falling apart at the seams. Plus, all the adrenaline's probably affecting him too. So Hans wasn't really in the best state of mind at that point, and who can blame him? He pretty much lost it all then. Of course, one could argue that it could've been a last-minute attempt to save face, but I'll leave his actions open for interpretation. :) **

**Okay, finally, here's the first chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

"Princess Anna! Please, slow down!"

With a giggle, Anna urged her horse faster, her skirts flapping wildly about in the breeze. "Sorry, no can do!"

"Princess Anna, if you get hurt again, Her Majesty will kill me!"

"Hah, more like freeze you!"

"Regardless, please slow down!"

"This girl slows down for no one!"

Anna raced along the length of a river, the sunlight glinting off of her strawberry-blonde hair. She laughed and leaned forward, enjoying every minute of her ride on her favorite horse, Espen. Although she had taken lessons when she was younger, time seemed to have ridden her of what she had learned. Kristoff had taught her how to ride, and she had taken to it quickly. Elsa, on the other hand, was still wary and only rode once in a while at an agonizingly slow pace.

As the sound of the horse's steps behind her started to fade away, Anna felt a twinge of guilt._ "Elsa just wants to keep me safe. Maybe I should slow down for him."_

Anna brought her horse to a halt and turned around, looking for the guard. He soon caught up with her, breathless and face ruddy from exertion. "Hi, Thomas!" she eagerly greeted him.

"Princess Anna," he replied. "Thank you for slowing down."

"No problem! You still think I can't handle myself out here?"

"Queen Elsa said that. And yes, I still do."

Anna scowled. "Thomas, just because she's the Queen doesn't mean you have to agree with her."

"Actually, Princess, I think I do." A hint of a smile appeared on Thomas' face.

"And that too! You don't have to call me Princess. I'm just Anna."

"Princess Anna of Arendelle."

"Repeat after me. Anna. Just Anna. No Princess, nothing. We're friends, right?"

"So now your guard counts as your friend?" Thomas teased.

"Of course! I think we're friends, don't you?" Anna flashed him a beaming grin, her flyaway hair and rosy cheeks only adding to her charm.

Thomas gave her a small smile before responding. "Of course, Princess."

"Anna."

"Princess Anna."

"No! Just, gah!" With a cry of frustration, Anna fixed her gaze on his. "Seriously, just call me Anna. Okay? Otherwise I'll have to make up a name for you."

"Really? Like what?" Thomas wasn't fazed by her threat, after spending a week with the girl, he was used to them. All of them were harmless, simply silly ways of getting back at him.

"Like. . . Royal Guard Sir Thomas the Seventeenth of Arendelle."

"Seventeenth? Impressive lineage. I'll take that as a compliment, thanks."

Anna blinked in surprise. "Wait, what? Okay, then I'll call you. . . Wimpy Guard Sir Thomas of Stinky Barns."

"Stinky barns? Anna, you're not even trying anymore," he jested.

"You did it!" Anna gave an enthusiastic fist-pump. "Hah, there! Now you have to call me Anna!"

Thomas turned bright red. He hadn't meant to step out-of-line. "Wait, that doesn't mean-"

"Nope! Too bad! So, do we have a deal?" Anna held out her hand for him to shake in agreement.

Thomas hesitated, warily eyeing her hand before catching her eye. She silently watched him with hope and kindness._ "She really wants __me__ for a friend?"_ He tentatively brought his hand to meet hers. Anna quickly shook them roughly before letting go.

"There! Now that we're friends, we should share hats."

This strange remark elicited a laugh from Thomas, surprising him. He rarely laughed around anyone other than his family. "Do you really want to wear this?"

"Yep. None of the other guards will let me wear theirs. I've always wanted to try one of them. And now that we're friends, we can share."

"Shouldn't you have a hat for me to wear in exchange?"

"Oh. You're right." Anna bit her lip in thought. "Umm. . . you can. . . I can braid your hair? Since I'm not wearing a hat, I can just give you my hairstyle."

"Anna, my hair's too short for that. It's fine, I don't need a hat. Or braids." Thomas took off his hat and held it out to her.

With the eagerness of a young child, Anna placed the hat on her head. "Ta-da! How do I look?"

Thomas stifled a laugh and cleared his throat before answering. "You look fine."

"Fine? Not strong, or brave like you?"

"You think I'm brave?" Thomas asked, taken aback by her praise.

"Well, yeah. I mean, your job is to protect the royal family of Arendelle. You never know what you'll come up against. Putting someone else's life before yours, yeah, that's pretty brave."

Thomas could only stare at her, mouth hanging open a bit.

"What?!"

"Nothing, nothing. I just. . . you're wiser than I thought you were."

Anna scrutinized him, thinking over this comment. "Thanks. . . I think."

Thomas smiled, but before Anna could smile back, he urged his horse forward. "Come on, Jonas. Let's get Anna back home in time for supper. We don't want her sister to freeze us."

Anna got her horse moving again, and soon the two were riding slowly alongside the river. "Thomas, you know Elsa would never do that, right? Freeze someone for no reason? I mean, with Hans. . . that was a whole 'nother story. You don't have to be afraid of her."

Her voice had gotten quieter, almost timid, now that they had switched to a darker topic. "I know, I was just kidding," Thomas reassured her. "I trust your sister. She's a great Queen, and an even better sister." The story of the twisted thirteenth son of the Southern Isles had become an old legend, a thing of the past. He felt obligated to lighten the mood and keep the princess' perpetual smile on her face.

Anna's vision started to blur. "That's sweet of you. Thanks, Thomas. For saying that and for being the best guard and friend a girl could hope for."

"You've dreamed of having a guard as your best friend?"

"Well, no. But if I had, I'd want him to be like you."

Thomas looked to see Anna watching him with a grateful expression on her face. He felt his neck grow warm from embarrassment. "I. . . thanks, Anna," he stammered out.

"You're welcome," she softly replied.

After some minutes of riding in silence, Anna's chirpy voice reappeared. "Hey, wanna race?"

"You still have energy?" Thomas asked disbelievingly.

"Oh, you should know that by now, Thomas! One, two, three, go!" Anna took off with a squeal, leaving him behind.

It only took him a second to gather his wits before he followed her, wind bringing tears to his eyes. He could see Anna ahead, one hand on the reins and the other holding onto his hat for dear life.

He soon caught up to her, and felt his lips curve upwards into a crooked smile. "Hey there, Princess."

"Oh, you're gonna try and sweet-talk your way into winning?"

"No. I'm gonna win by being faster." He suddenly shot forward, leaving Anna behind.

She stared after him in awe before grinning and fighting to pass him. "We'll see about that!"

* * *

_Two weeks ago. . ._

"Ow, ow, ow. . ."

There was definitely something wrong with her leg. Anna tried to get up by leaning on a tree for support, but gave up halfway.

"Great job, Espen," she muttered.

While riding through the forest, a stray dog had jumped into her path, evidently running away from something. Espen had been spooked and accidentally thrown Anna off, heading back towards the castle. The dog had continued on, leaving Anna alone in the forest as night approached.

"Okay, I can do this. Mama and Papa are gonna be so mad at me for this. Elsa's gonna be mad at me for this. Kristoff's gonna be mad at Espen, and then me for this. Ugh, how am I gonna get home?!"

Anna leaned back against the tree, trying to ignore the discomfort in her ankle. After she had rested, she slowly stood up, careful not to put too much pressure on her right foot. She tentatively put a bit more pressure on it, and when she didn't cry out in pain, she began to walk.

"Ahh. . . I got this. I can walk home. At nine o'clock at night. Aw man, I am gonna be in so much trouble." Anna guessed that from now on, there would be no more nighttime rides without supervision.

She barely made it to the edges of the town before she saw the horses looking for her. Kristoff spotted her on one of the newer horses, Bjørn, and quickly rode over to her.

"Anna, are you okay?" He swiftly dismounted and scooped her up before placing her on Bjørn.

"I'm fine, Kristoff. It's just my ankle, I think I sprained it. Is Espen okay?"

"Yeah, he's fine. Easiest horse to scare that I've ever met, but yeah, he's fine." He quickly got on behind her and headed back to the castle, calling out to the other guards that had gone searching for her.

"Kristoff, is there a chance that you won't tell my parents or Elsa about this?" she asked in a small voice.

"Too late. You're in big trouble." Kristoff noted her worried expression, and his tone became more gentle. "You didn't tell anyone where you were going."

"Since when do I have to do that?"

"You should tell someone if you're gonna leave your house in the middle of the night."

Anna sighed in defeat. "Okay. I'm sorry."

Her talk with her parents and Elsa hadn't been any better.

"Anna, tell someone next time!" her father exclaimed in frustration.

"I will, Papa, I promise!"

Elsa exhaled. "Anna, you can't keep getting into trouble like this on your own. First it's getting lost for hours, now it's nighttime rides and sprained ankles."

"Okay, actually, I only got lost one time, when I was looking for your ice castle by myself."

The glare from Elsa quickly cut her off. "Anna, things always happen when you go off by yourself. You won't take anyone: not me, or Kristoff, or even Olaf and Sven."

"Because you guys are always busy."

Anna detected a twinge of hurt in Elsa's eye. "Elsa, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

"No, you're right. There's always something that I have to do, and the others aren't always free. I'll try to make more time for you, but I can't make any promises. Until then, I've assigned a guard to accompany you."

"What?! Elsa, I don't need to be babysitted!"

"Babysat," her mother gently corrected, a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"Babysat! I'm eighteen years old, and you still treat me like I'm five! Mama, Papa, please!"

"I'm sorry, Anna," her father spoke. "But this is what we three have agreed upon."

With a huff, Anna admitted defeat. "Okay, fine. Who's my babysitter gonna be?"

"One of the younger guards, Thomas Stordahl. We figured that if we picked an older one, you would try to outrun him. He's lived in Arendelle his whole life, so he'll be able to guide you, should you get lost," Elsa replied.

"When do I get to meet him?"

"Would you like to meet him right now?"

Anna shrugged. "Sure, might as well get it over with."

Ten minutes later, Thomas stood in front of them, hands folded politely behind his back. "Your Majesty, Princess, Advisors," he greeted them.

"Hello, Thomas." Elsa nodded to Anna. "This is the guard that will be escorting you whenever you decide to leave the castle."

Anna stared at him, eyes narrowed. "Hi, Thomas."

He nodded in return. "Hello, Princess."

He was quite tall, about Kristoff's height, with dark brown hair and soft green eyes. They reminded Anna of grass in springtime, her favorite season. Although he didn't appear as strong as Kristoff, she guessed that he had to be pretty strong to have been selected as one of Arendelle's guards.

She spent the first week on bed rest, alone in her room occasionally with Olaf for company and visits from her family and Kristoff scattered here and there.

The second week, Anna rejoiced in her freedom after the doctor announced that she was good to go back outside. She scampered about town and explored the forests nearby, always with Thomas following her.

Their first few outings had been silent and awkward, with Anna ignoring him as a small act of defiance against her punishment. However, her friendly nature didn't let that last for long. She was soon talking to him about everyday things, hoping that she could get him to crawl out of his introverted shell soon. He rarely spoke of his own accord, always speaking in response to questions that she asked him. It was only until a few days ago when she had managed to coax a snort out of him after telling a bad joke that the two began to converse. He even had some bad jokes of his own to tell.

Maybe having a guard around wasn't so bad after all.

* * *

**Hope you guys enjoyed the first chapter! This story will be focused more on Anna, but Elsa and Kristoff will still have their appearances. :)**

**Due to school starting in a couple of days, updates will be back on a weekly schedule, every Sunday. Have you guys started school yet? I swear, this summer flew by quickly for me. **

**Until next time!**


	2. Chapter Two

**Hello again!**

**AnnaDahl: Thank you, I'm glad! It's nice to meet a fellow senior. :D That's the worst, my school district's been letting us out later on in June too. :( Hope you enjoy your senior year!**

**taylorjago: Thank you! :) Since Elsa was the main character in the previous story, I felt like Anna should have her time in the spotlight too. :)**

**psalty: I'm super excited to see you here again! :D I'll be sure to go check it out. :)**

**prettyprincess45: Oh my god, thanks lovely! :D**

**Asteroth1: No you're not, you're amazing, don't worry. :D I'm glad to have you back! :)**

* * *

"Okay, okay, okay. Chocolate, or strawberries?"

"Really, Anna?"

"Just answer the question!"

"Fine. I guess. . . strawberries?"

"What?!"

"What? What did I say?" Thomas turned to see Anna staring at him in horror, as if he had just said that he preferred pestilence to rainbows.

"How can you not pick chocolate?! Chocolate is _life_."

"Okay, Anna, I think you're overreacting."

"And you're crazy! Have you never had chocolate before?!"

"I have, but I just like strawberries more. They're fresh, and taste like springtime in your mouth."

Anna's eyes widened at this statement. She had never thought of it like that before. "I guess you have a point. . . well, at least there's chocolate-covered strawberries! Then you can have the best of both worlds in one."

"I've never had one."

"Really? Whenever we have a ball, the chefs make them. They're amazing, you should try one next time!"

"I don't think that would be wise, Princess." Anna failed to detect the hint of embarrassment in his voice.

"Why not?"

"I'm a guard. Guards don't attend balls to enjoy the food. They're there to watch over the royal family."

Anna flushed, embarrassed at having forgotten about their differences in social standing. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. . . be rude or anything, I just-"

"It's fine, Anna. Don't worry."

She looked over at him to see that behind his serious expression hid a hint of reassurance. She gave him a tiny smile in return.

The two were walking to the orphanage to visit the children. It was a tradition that Anna had carried out almost every week for about a year. Sometimes Elsa went with her, other times Sven and Olaf. Today, Thomas was with her.

They approached the familiar wooden door, and Anna gave a short knock. The sounds of footsteps were heard coming closer, and the door swung open to reveal two small girls, one a dark brunette and one fair-haired, both beaming up at Anna.

"Princess Anna! You came back!" they squealed in excitement.

Anna gave a small laugh. They said the same thing every time she came to visit. "Of course! Just like I said I would! Oh, Rita, Kjersti, I want you to meet Thomas."

Both girls' gazes wandered over to meet Thomas'. "Is he your boyfriend, like Sir Kristoff is with Queen Elsa?" Rita innocently asked.

Thomas and Anna instantly turned red. "I-I. . . we're not. . ." Thomas stuttered out.

"No, not like that! I mean, not that I don't think you're a nice guy, Thomas! It's just that, er,we're not like that. Sorry, Rita." Anna's face burned hotter and hotter as she continued to speak.

"Oh. Okay." Rita gave a small shrug and grabbed Anna's hand. "Anna, look! Olaf is here too, and Miss Lise let us play hide-and seek with him upstairs!"

"Aren't you supposed to be hiding then?" Anna asked in a whisper.

"We were, but Kjersti wanted to draw instead, and she didn't want to come downstairs by herself."

"I don't like hiding under the bed. It's squished. And Alf's there too, and he always breathes loudly," Kjersti spoke matter-of-factly.

"It's okay. Rita, I'll go play with you. We'll find the best hiding place. Kjertsti can stay with Thomas. If that's okay with you?"

Thomas nodded in assent. "Of course." After taking care of his younger sister as a child, Thomas had lots of experience with keeping small children entertained.

"Okay then. Bye Kjersti! Bye Thomas!" Anna and Rita ran upstairs, whispering and giggling.

Kjersti looked up at Thomas curiously. "Why do you wear a funny hat? And gloves too, it's summertime."

"It's part of my uniform. It's how people know that I'm a guard of Arendelle."

"You're a guard?"

Thomas chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, I am. Let's go sit down somewhere, I heard you wanted to draw."

Kjersti took his hand, small fingers wrapped around a couple of his own, and led him to a room in the back. She went over to a table with pieces of paper strewn across it. "Oh no, my crayons are gone!" she cried out sorrowfully.

Thomas crouched down next to her, holding her gaze with his own. "Don't worry. We'll find them." He gave her a small smile, one that she shyly returned.

"You left them on the table?"

"Uh-huh."

"Well. . . maybe they walked off?"

Kjersti gave a giggle. "Crayons don't walk off."

"Really?" Thomas pretended to be shocked. "I learned something new today."

"You're silly, Sir Thomas."

"You don't have to call me sir. I'm just Thomas."

"Okay. Thomas, I think someone mighta stoled them."

"Why would they steal them?"

"I dunno. But they must 'ave gone somewhere!"

A shush silenced them.

Kjersti ran to Thomas, burying her face in his coat. "There's a-a ghost!"

The voice spoke up again. "Kjersti, be quiet! Olaf's gonna find us!"

"Kjersti, I don't think that's a ghost," Thomas comfortingly whispered.

She pulled back and turned towards the source of the noise. "Who is it?" she asked a weathered wardrobe.

"It's Roger! Now be quiet!"

"Roger, did you take my crayons?"

"No, I didn't! I don't want your crayons! I just want to win hide-and-seek, now be quiet!" he hissed.

One of the wardrobe's doors opened, and a tiny freckled hand held out a fistful of crayons. "These crayons?" a voice timidly asked.

"Hey! I found them! Thomas, I found them!" Kjersti was now jumping up and down, pulling on Thomas's sleeve. He grinned, and stood up. "You did! Let's go see who it is."

A small boy, appearing to be about five, a few years younger than Kjersti, came out of the wardrobe. "Sorry, Kjersti. I just wanted to color, but then Roger came an' told me to hide."

"It's okay, Årfinn. You wanna color together?"

Roger's head poked out from behind the wardrobe door. "Be quiet! They're gonna find us!"

"I'm gonna color with Kjersti," Årfinn triumphantly announced.

Roger groaned in frustration. "Okay, just be quiet!" He slowly closed the door behind him.

Årfinn and Kjersti sat down at the table, immediately ready to draw. When Thomas went over to them, Årfinn looked up in surprise, not having noticed him before. "Are you Kjersti's friend?"

"I am. So, you guys like to draw?"

"Yeah. Dragons and treasures and pirates!"

"I like drawing flowers and horses," Kjersti added.

"What about you? Do you like to draw, Mr. Hat?" Årfinn asked Thomas.

Thomas stifled a chuckle before replying. He lifted a hand to remove his hat from his head, seeing as they were indoors. "My name's actually Thomas. And yes, I do like drawing."

"Really? Like what?"

"Whatever I see."

"Did you fight dragons? You're a guard, so you must'a fought some bad peoples," Årfinn spoke.

The wardrobe door opened again, and Roger stared at the group around the table. "Dragons?" he asked incredulously.

An idea suddenly formed in Thomas' mind. Maybe he could get the older boy to join them. "Yes, actually. There was once a brown dragon that scared Princess Anna." It had actually been a small lizard, but changing the story to amuse these children would be harmless.

Roger came out from behind the door and joined them, his face alight with awe. Thomas could see that he was much older than the other two, maybe twelve years old.

"You fought the dragon?" Roger asked in awe.

"Well. . . not really. Princess Anna scared it away the first time. The next time it came back, I chased it away. It's my duty to protect the Princess of Arendelle."

"Woah!" all three children exclaimed.

"Did it breathe fire?!" Årfinn asked.

"I don't know. He was pretty fast though, and he ran back into the forest before I could find out."

"Why did he attack you guys?" Roger asked, engrossed in the tale.

"He probably heard of Princess Anna's beauty. Dragons are known for coveting beautiful things."

"Really?"

Thomas flinched, recognizing the voice. He turned around to see Anna standing in the doorway with Rita, Olaf, and five other children. "I-I didn't know you were there," he spoke.

"I could tell." Anna flashed him a grin. "So, you saved me from a dragon?"

"He did! He was so brave! He did it to save you, 'cause you're a beautiful princess!" Kjersti broke in.

"I heard. I'm glad I have such a brave guard to save me from the dragons."

"Hey, I didn't hear about this story!" Olaf interjected. "I need to hang out with you guys more."

Anna laughed before turning back to face Thomas. "Looks like we found you guys. Can we join you?"

"Maybe we should go outside. This room is a bit too small to fit nine kids, two adults and one snowman."

"Ooh, let's go outside!" Olaf ran off, and the back door could be heard slamming behind him a few seconds later.

The children ran after him, Rita and Kjersti each taking one of Årfinn's hands while Anna and Thomas followed behind, Roger accompanying them.

"Have you ever used a sword?" he curiously asked Thomas.

"I had to learn how to use one. But no, I've never had to use it on someone."

"Have you ever fought any burglars?"

A giggle escaped from Anna. Everyone in the kingdom knew of Elsa's powers, and wouldn't dare to steal from her home for fear of the consequences. "Sorry, Roger, no burglars have ever reached the castle under Elsa's watch."

Roger seemed almost disappointed, but perked up immediately. "Thomas, will you teach me how to use a sword someday?"

Thomas was taken aback. "I. . . sure. If it's okay with Miss Lise."

"She'll be okay with it. She likes it when we play outside."

"Okay then. It's a deal. Next time I visit, I'll teach you." Thomas held out his hand for Roger to shake. Roger took it enthusiastically, pumping his hand with vigor.

By now, everyone was outside. The orphanage resided on land up in the hills with lush greenery all around. The children ran around, playing various games and chatting.

Anna and Thomas stood off to the side, watching over the children. "That's nice what you did back there. With the story," Anna spoke up.

"It was just a small tale."

"But it made them happy. You have a knack for kids," she complimented him.

Thomas gave her a genuine smile. "Thanks. I've had experience, growing up with a sister five years younger than me."

"I didn't know you had a sister." Anna was interested, eager to find out more about this quiet stranger.

"Her name's Mimmi. She's always been really energetic. She's the only sibling I've got, and we look out for each other. You two would hit it off."

Anna smiled. "She sounds amazing. I hope I can meet her someday."

"Do you want to? She'd be happy to meet you. She looks up to you and your sister."

"Me? I mean, I know why she'd look up to Elsa, but me?" Anna regarded him in innocent confusion.

"You're caring and adventurous. She adores you."

Anna looked down at her hands where they fiddled with each other in embarrassment. "Thanks. For everything."

"I didn't do anything."

"Really? 'He probably heard of Princess Anna's beauty. You're caring and adventurous.' You're quite the charmer, Thomas." She gave his shoulder a nudge.

Thomas gave her a wry smile. "Great. Should I add that to my title? Royal Guard Sir Thomas of Stinky Barns, also known as the Charmer?" he joked.

"If you want." Anna teasingly smiled back at him.

"Årfinn called me 'Mr. Hat'. Why does everyone notice the hat first?"

"Well, it is standing on your head. Or was, now that you're holding it."

"Did he give you a name?"

"Of course. He called me 'Red Princess' the first time he met me."

Thomas gave a low chortle. "Red Princess?"

"The hair." Anna lifted up the end of a braid, as if to confirm this. "I spent most of the first day trying to convince him that it's strawberry-blonde."

Thomas snorted.

"What?" Anna asked, a grin spreading over her face. In the same minute, the solemn guard had managed to chortle and snort in her presence. Perhaps he was warming up to her.

"For a girl who likes chocolates more than strawberries, I'm surprised you didn't describe it as 'chocolate-red'."

"Okay, I'm not that crazy about chocolate."

"Says the girl who has a cup of hot chocolate with her sister every night."

"Not every night. There was one time where Papa cut us off because he said we were having too much."

"One night out of how many?"

". . . Shut up."

Thomas gave her a triumphant grin. "That's what I thought."

"Shut up, Mr. Hat."

"Whatever you say, Red Princess."

The two stood there, teasing each other while the sounds of happy children playing and conversing filled the summer air.

* * *

"The poor thing!"

Anna knelt down on the ground, cradling a fallen bird in her hands. She gently ran a finger over it, sighing in relief when it moved in response. "Thomas, look! it's a måltrost, a songbird. It's a baby."

Thomas leaned over her shoulder, peering at the fallen chick. "It probably came from this tree." He looked up and examined the tall tree, its thin branches unsettling him. "Look! Its nest is up there."

Anna looked up to see a nest high up in the tree, about fifteen feet off of the ground. She stood up with resolve, hands cradling the chick. "I'm going up there."

"What?! Anna, you can't. The branches are too thin."

"I'll be fine. I've climbed trees like this one before."

Thomas eyed her skeptically. "Anna, you're gonna hurt yourself. Let me do it."

"No, you're too heavy! And besides, Arvid likes me."

"Arvid? How are you sure it's a boy?"

"Um. . . well, whatever! It doesn't matter, he could be a girl. What matters is getting him home." She strode over to the tree and carefully studied it. She turned back around to face Thomas. "Can you hold onto him for a second? I need both hands to get up there."

Thomas rolled his eyes half-heartedly before taking the bird in his hands. Anna quickly got up into the tree, and he handed Arvid back to her.

An old lullaby her mother used to sing to her and Elsa popped into her mind. "_Sulla meg litt, du mamma mi,_" she sang as she climbed up, Arvid in one hand.

"Are you singing 'Sulla meg litt' to it?" Thomas asked.

She shushed him hastily. "_Skal du få snor til trøya di,_" she continued, as if she hadn't been interrupted. Her mother would sing it to her whenever she got injured or was sick. It seemed only fitting that she sing it to a fallen bird.

Thomas shook his head in wonder. _"She's gotta be either the most caring, fearless girl I've ever met, or the most ridiculous."_

"_Vil du ha gule? Vil du ha blå?_" Anna's clear voice softened as she got closer and closer to the nest.

"_Vil du ha blanke, skal du det få. På trøya di, du mamma mi._" As Anna whispered the end of the lullaby, she carefully placed Arvid back in his home. "There. You're safe now." She gave him a gentle smile before climbing back down.

"Okay, Anna. Be careful on your way down," Thomas warned her, the strain in his voice evident.

"Don't worry, Thomas. You worry too mu-" A scream cut off Anna's sentence as she misplaced her foot and slipped, falling out of the tree.

"ANNA!" Thomas ran over to her, crouching down beside her fallen body. "Anna, please, open your eyes! Come on, be okay. . ."

He gently shook her shoulder, and Anna's eyes slowly opened. "Thomas. . . remind me to never do that again. . ." she mumbled.

Thomas gave a shaky laugh of relief and helped her up. "Are you okay? Does your head hurt?"

"Only a little. Don't tell Elsa. Or Mama and Papa. Promise?" she asked.

"Anna, I have to-"

"You better promise, Mr. Hat." She pointed an accusing finger at him, her eyes narrowed as she fought against the pounding in her head.

With a sigh, Thomas complied. "Fine. But if anything weird happens, I'm telling them."

"Mmkay. Thomas?"

"Yeah?" The two were walking side-by-side, Thomas protectively holding Anna upright with an arm while she leaned on him.

"Will you sing 'Sulla meg litt' to me?"

"What?"

"Sing. To me. Please?"

Thomas looked down worriedly at her huddled form, her bright-blue eyes watching him imploringly. "Okay, fine."

As the two continued their walk home, Anna fell into an almost trance-like state as his low, melodic voice sang the familiar lullaby.

* * *

**I really liked writing this chapter. This is probably my most favorite chapter, including the ones from Price of Freedom. The kids and all of the tiny flirting between Anna and Thomas just kill me. :D**

**"Sulla meg lit", to my knowledge after searching around on Google, is a Norwegian lullaby. Apologies in advance if there's any typos, or if I'm just way off on my info.**

**Until next Sunday!**


	3. Chapter Three

**Welcome back!**

**psalty: Thank you! :') And yes, she will be making an small appearance in this chapter. :)**

**Asteroth1: Haha, thanks! :D Hope you enjoy the Kristelsa in this chapter!**

* * *

"How do I look?"

Elsa presented herself to Anna, Idun and Gerda.

"Oh, Elsa. You're beautiful," Anna breathed. Idun clapped her hands over her mouth, fighting back tears, while Gerda shamelessly wiped one away from the corner of her eye.

Elsa stood before them in the dressing room, wearing a dress that she had created for her upcoming wedding. It was similar to her usual ice-dress with its off-the-shoulder sleeves, but included a corset and a full skirt. She had even created rosemaling on the corset and lacy, delicate patterns on the skirt out of frost. Her veil was pulled back, trailing a good five feet behind her.

She turned pink at the compliments, modestly clasping her hands together in front of her. "Thank you," she murmured.

Idun went over to her and made a few adjustments, fixing the veil a bit and brushing Elsa's skirts with her hand. She looked up into her daughter's radiant face, eyes full of tears. "Elsa. My beautiful daughter. Kristoff is a most fortunate man."

Elsa gave a small laugh, shaking her head. "Mama, you're going to embarrass me."

"She's right, Your Majesty," Gerda spoke up. "You're going to be absolutely beautiful on your wedding day."

"Yeah. Kristoff'll probably have his mouth hanging open, like he usually does," Anna joked.

Elsa giggled, knowing that Anna was right. "Thank you all. Now, Mama, Anna? What about your gowns?"

Idun nodded and headed off to the partitioned section to go change, while Anna awkwardly twiddled her thumbs. "Okay, so I might've tried it on and accidentally gotten some food on it, and now there's a stain that won't come out," she mumbled.

Elsa shook her head with a smile. "I should have known. Gerda, could you take it to be cleaned, please?" she kindly asked the maid.

"Of course." Gerda went to go retrieve Anna's dress and promptly left the room.

"I'm ready," Idun softly announced. Her hand swept the curtain back to reveal her slender form dressed in a light blue dress. It had three-quarter sleeves with a darker blue corset, and a flowing skirt with a blue and lavender pattern at the hem and edges of the sleeves.

"Mama, you look amazing," Elsa breathlessly spoke.

Idun smiled in thanks. "The blue is for Kristoff?"

"Yes. It's his favorite color."

"Good thing he has you then, you're like the Queen of Blue," Anna teased.

"Then you're the Queen of Mischief," Elsa countered with a smirk.

"Ha-ha, very funny." Anna stuck her tongue out at Elsa, prompting Elsa to send a few snowflakes her way.

"Hey, no fair! No ice powers."

"Says who?"

"Girls, we need to get ready. You two can argue later," Idun broke in gently. She went back behind the curtain, changing quickly.

"Anna, really, did I have to change into this right now? Before a ball? Why couldn't this have waited until another day?" Elsa sighed in exasperation.

"We were gonna try the dresses on today anyway until you realized it's the same day as the ball. Plus, you can just make it disappear in like a second," Anna stated.

"But Mama can't."

"Oh. Right. Sorry, Mama," she sheepishly apologized.

"It's fine. Now hurry, the guests are waiting." Idun's harmonious voice wafted over to them from behind the curtain.

Elsa went behind another one, changing into a dress of a soft-yellow hue, making her hair seem brighter than usual. Anna waited for them, already dressed in her dark-green ball gown. She loved the feel of her skirts as they moved, the panels appearing and disappearing with every step. She pulled a sleeve up and fiddled with her hair, making sure that it stayed in the intricate hairstyle that her mother had helped her with.

Soon, her mother and Elsa stepped out, ready for the ball downstairs.

"Okay, come on, let's go! We can't miss your birthday celebration, Elsa!"

* * *

"Are you okay?"

Kristoff looked down to see Elsa watching him worriedly.

"I'm fine. You'd think that after so many public events, I'd get used to them," he muttered.

Elsa held his hand more tightly in her own petite one. "It takes time. Don't worry."

Kristoff gave her his signature smile, eliciting a grin from her.

"You look beautiful in yellow. How come you've never worn it before?" he asked.

Elsa looked down at her skirts, reveling in the change of color. "It's summertime. And today's my birthday. I thought it would be well to go with a bright color, a change from the norm. Take a page out of Anna's book."

The two stood at the head of the Great Hall, watching as couples danced and conversed with each other. A servant passed by with a platter of champagne, and both Elsa and Kristoff instantly felt queasy.

At one of their first balls together, both of them had underestimated their tolerance for alcohol, and had ended up with raging headaches the next day. Anna had nearly fallen out of her chair at breakfast, giggling uncontrollably while telling them of their mishaps. Apparently, Elsa had been a wreck for the rest of the night, her face flushed and occasionally bursting into fits of giggles. Anna had been able to steer her away from groups of people before she could embarrass herself any further. Kristoff hadn't been so lucky. He had talked to a wall for ten minutes about the importance of treating all of one's animals equally so as not to make them jealous, earning a few concerned stares from the other guests, before Anna had noticed and sent him upstairs.

"No more champagne for us," Kristoff spoke in a strained voice.

Elsa nodded, fighting back a giggle as she pictured Kristoff talking to a wall.

"What is it?" Kristoff turned to her with a smile.

"Oh, nothing."

"You're thinking of the wall thing, aren't you?"

Elsa laughed, the sound merry and bright. "I wish I had been coherent enough to see that. Anna talks about it as if it were the greatest thing she's ever witnessed."

Kristoff gave a chortle of his own, shaking his head. "You and me both. I wish I had seen you giggling like a teenage girl for the rest of the night."

"Don't tell Anna that, she'll never forgive you," Elsa teasingly warned.

"I'll take my chances. Do you want to dance? I mean, would you like to dance with me?" Kristoff awkwardly asked.

Elsa led him onto the dance floor, pulling them into dance position. "It's fine. There's no need to be polite with me, we already know each other quite well." She raised an eyebrow, causing Kristoff to blush.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," he stammered.

"After spending almost a year together, I'd say we're already like a married couple. Eating meals together, hearing you sing while getting dressed and trying to hide your burps from me."

"You heard me?!" Kristoff asked, alarmed.

"Of course. I passed by your room one day and heard you singing. I'm guessing it was a song for Sven, as you mentioned something about 'reindeers being better than people'. And yes, I've heard you burp." She gave a light laugh, enjoying his discomfort.

"Speaking of burps, I've never heard any from you," Kristoff said in an attempt to steer the conversation away from him.

"A lady never burps in the presence of a man," Elsa spoke in a haughty voice, reminiscent of a tutor she once had in manners long ago.

Kristoff laughed, and brought her closer as they continued to dance. "So you've burped in front of Anna?"

"Of course. Just not as often as she does."

"Well, seems like I'll have to catch you in the act someday," Kristoff challenged.

Elsa gave him a saucy grin. "We'll see about that, Sir Kristoff. You certainly have a lot of time to wait and see."

"The rest of our lives."

The two continued to talk while dancing, both of them pleasantly surprised to find that Kristoff had only stepped on Elsa's toes a few times.

Anna stood in the corner of a room, watching them with a dreamy smile on her face. Someone to her left tapped her shoulder, bringing her out of her reverie. "Oh! Hello!" she greeted the young man.

He was tall and well-built, golden hair coiffed and flashing her a dazzling smile, as if he knew the effect he had on women. "Princess Anna of Arendelle, I presume?" he asked as he dipped into a low bow.

Anna curtsied in return, taken aback by the man's handsomeness. _"Is this guy real?"_ she asked herself. Out loud, she replied, "Yes, I am." She was relieved that she had remembered her lessons in manners, even though they had been agonizingly boring.

"Prince Étienne of Chambord, at your service, milady."

"Chambord? Are you from France?" Anna asked in wonder.

"Oui, mademoiselle," he replied with a confident grin.

"Wow, your Norwegian is amazing! You don't have an accent, that's incredible! I wish I knew French, I mean, I'm still learning, but I'm not very good at it. Elsa's amazing. How long have you been studying Norwegian?" Anna's eyes were bright with excitement.

"I started when I was eight. Now I'm twenty-five, so I've had quite a lot of experience."

"Wow. That's amazing." Anna was instantly wonderstruck by this prince. He was like the ones she had read about in books: handsome, charming and intelligent.

Thomas watched from afar at his post, eyes narrowed as he watched innocent Anna talking to that arrogant French prince. He had heard rumors of the prince and his various romances, always looking for beautiful young ladies to sweep up and then abandon as soon as he grew tired of them. He tended to go for very young girls, even as young as fifteen. Fifteen. His sister's age. Just thinking about that guy near his sister ticked him off. Thomas' eyes narrowed even further, never straying from Étienne's figure.

His gaze followed Anna and Prince Étienne as they walked to the middle of the floor. They looked beautiful together, both of them magnificent dancers and attractive youths. "That guy's creepy. Come on, Anna, get away," he whispered to himself.

"So, Princess Anna, do you have a significant other?"

Anna blinked in surprise._ "Wow, someone's forward.__"_ She gave him a quick shrug and a bashful smile before replying. "No, not at the moment. I don't have time for anyone else right now, just friends and family."

Étienne leaned closer, his nose almost touching hers. "Perhaps you could make some time for me?" he murmured in a low voice.

Definitely creepy. "Umm. . . I'll have to think about it," she awkwardly replied.

"We could spend time at my château, mademoiselle. Go for rides together, spend some time together as only two beautiful young adults can."

Ew, ew, ew. His château, really? "Thanks, but I'm gonna have to decline." Anna started to take her hand out of his grip, but he only held on tighter.

"But why, ma chérie? I thought we had something here, a connection. I was sure that you enjoyed my company."

"I did. For a while. But, um, actually, Prince Étienne, I have to go, um. . . ask my mother about something."

"Ask your mother? Oh, ma petite, mon chaton, ma poupée, you're so innocent. It's quite endearing. It only makes me want you even more."

"Ew! And don't call me your 'poopay', or whatever!" Anna broke free of his grasp and turned to run away, but Étienne soon grabbed one of her hands. Suddenly, he groaned and let go.

Anna turned around in surprise to see Thomas holding Étienne back, both of his arms restraining the golden prince.

Elsa rushed forward, eyes widened by shock. "Thomas, what is happening here?!" she demanded. The music had ceased to a halt, and everyone's eyes were trained on the three royals.

"Your Majesty, this man was making advances on Princess Anna when she clearly didn't return the feeling."

Elsa turned to Anna. "Is this true?"

Anna nodded, the ribbons hanging from her hair bouncing with the movement. "Sorry, Étienne, but you were being really creepy." Actually, she wasn't sorry at all, but a princess must always remember her manners, right?

Elsa's eyes narrowed as she faced Étienne. "Prince Étienne of Chambord, I'm afraid I will have to ask you to leave. Please note that you are not welcome in Arendelle until further notice."

Étienne grinned up at her. "As you wish, Your Majesty." He gave her a flirtatious wink, hoping to elicit some response from her. However, Elsa was unfazed, and simply rolled her eyes in disgust.

Kristoff pushed through the crowd, going to stand by Elsa's side as he glared at the prince. "Save your winks for someone else," he threatened in a low voice.

"Of course, Your Royal Reindeer Highness," Étienne replied with a sly smirk.

"Thomas, please take him away," Elsa calmly commanded. Everyone was aware of the chill in her voice, especially the prince.

"As you wish, Your Majesty. Come on, Prince." Thomas led Étienne out of the room, using more force than was actually needed.

"Everything is fine now. Please, return to what you were doing before," Elsa addressed the roomful of people.

The music started up again, and the various dignitaries, after a few seconds, returned to their conversations.

Elsa took Anna's shaky hands in her own cool ones, rubbing her thumbs comfortingly over them. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Just a bit shaken up, but yeah, I'm fine. What about you and Kristoff?"

"I'm fine," Kristoff replied. "I've been called worse. I just don't want him being all creepy towards you and Elsa," he angrily muttered.

"I'm fine, Kristoff. His attempts at flirting don't bother me," Elsa softly spoke in an attempt to calm him down. "I'm just glad that Mama and Papa weren't here to see him."

Anna let out a sigh of relief. Their parents had retired to their rooms an hour ago, at midnight. "I'm glad Thomas was there."

"I am too." Elsa gave her a tiny smile. "I'm guessing you like him now?"

"Well, you know me. Always making friends with strangers. Although, I've never made friends with a wall," she spoke as she glanced pointedly at Kristoff.

"That was one time! One time, and it'll never happen again!" he exclaimed.

Both girls burst into laughter, the event of before already gone from their minds.

* * *

"So, that's her. She's not very special, is she?"

She looked into a mirror made of ice, where she could survey everything that happened at the ball down in Arendelle's castle.

She had taken refuge in Elsa's old ice castle, now long forgotten. With a few changes, it almost felt like home. Of course, the first thing she had made was her mirror, her device that allowed her to watch over everything in Arendelle.

As she watched Elsa and Anna tease Kristoff, her hand instinctively went up to touch Anna's face on the mirror, as if she could reach her through the ice. A scowl formed on her face as she watched Elsa and Anna exchange a cheerful glance. Her eyes darted towards Kristoff's exasperated expression.

"And she has a lover. Romantic love is for the weak. At least she still has her sister. Excellent. Although she doesn't seem to be as strong as I am. If she were, she would have frozen the whole kingdom over. Just like I did."

Her hand went to her neck, where a short pearl necklace with a small medallion in the middle rested. "We'll meet soon, Your Majesty."

* * *

**This was so much fun to write. :D**

**Anna's ball-gown is supposed to be the one she wears for Elsa's coronation in the movie. I picture the dresses in my mind, but I just can't describe them well. It's so frustrating. **

**Hope you guys enjoyed "tipsy" Elsa and Kristoff (I know I did). I pictured Elsa and Kristoff taking sips of it and then just falling in love with it, while Anna just has one glass and stops because she's not very fond of the taste and also because she notices them acting really weird. :p**

**Étienne was actually pretty fun to write. (I guess I like writing creepy characters?) I don't know why I went with French, I guess my French class is working its way into my story. Chambord is actually the name of a château in France, and I just randomly remembered it while thinking of a name for Étienne's kingdom. (I had to do a presentation on one of the castles. Oh, the days of not knowing what to do with Powerpoint so you just make everything really flashy.) But yeah, French class and châteaux aside, Étienne was supposed to be Anna's mini life-lesson that "not everything is as it seems", since she got that lesson in the movie from Hans, but her interactions with Hans in this prequel were different from the ones in the movie. **

**Until next Sunday!**


	4. Chapter Four

**Hello again! **

**Asteroth1: Haha, it probably was! :p Sadly, this was Étienne's first and only appearance in this fanfic. He might be mentioned later on, but I'm not planning on him returning any time soon. Glad you enjoyed it! :D Sorry about that, I still actually know very little about this site, so I just closed it for now. :p I'll be sure to check it out!**

**Belmont9: Thanks! :D I'm glad you're enjoying it!**

**taylorjago: Really? How was it? :D**

**psalty: Haha, glad you liked it! :D**

* * *

The familiar pitter patter of her feet on the floor got his attention even before she spoke. "Thomas."

He looked up from where he sat reading near the window to see his sister in her worn, faded nightgown standing before him.

"Didn't you say Princess Anna wanted to meet me?"

"Yeah. . ."

"So? When can I meet her?"

"Umm. Actually, I don't know."

"Why don't you bring her here?" A broad grin swept over the girl's face, and she rocked back and forth on the heels of her feet in impatience.

"Here? Mimmi, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Please, Thomas? I'll cook something special, and maybe Mama will get out of bed, and we can all talk together and-"

"Mimmi. Mama hasn't left her room for years. Just because Anna's coming doesn't mean that she'll come back to us."

Mimmi's face fell. "You're right," she mumbled. "I guess I just. . . hoped that she would."

Thomas stood up and closed his book. He rested a hand on the girl's shoulder comfortingly. "Mimmi, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just. . . Mama's never been the same since Papa died. We've been trying, and waiting for years. I still hope she'll snap out of it, but we've already tried to get her back. We can't do anything for her."

A sniff escaped Mimmi. "I just miss her. Things aren't the same without her here. Without her _really_ here."

"Come here." Thomas wrapped Mimmi in his arms, holding her tightly against him. She hugged him back, eyes closing as warm tears fell onto his shirt.

"If it'll really make you happy, I'll ask Anna if she wants to come over."

"Really?" Mimmi looked up hopefully at Thomas. The desperate look on her face broke his heart, she had been deprived of so many things for years. He _had_ to do this for her. He only hoped that Anna would agree.

"Of course. Anything for you, sis."

"Thanks, Thomas." With one last squeeze, Mimmi let go. "Don't stay up too late, okay?"

"Okay. Good night."

"G'night."

Mimmi scampered to the bedroom, the sound of her footsteps growing fainter with each step.

Thomas sat back down in his chair, and stared out the window. From here, he could barely make out one of the towers in Arendelle's castle.

He was embarrassed to show Anna his small, shabby home. To introduce her to his mother who had stayed in her room for five years and had locked out the world, even her own children, after the death of her husband. The only thing he wasn't ashamed of was Mimmi. He knew that the two would become friends instantly. Anna's fresh, energetic spirit was just what Mimmi needed.

* * *

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For getting Prince Creepy of Chambord away from me. I never did thank you about that, and didn't get the chance to tell you yesterday since I was busy with Elsa."

"It's fine. It's my job."

"As my guard, or as my friend?"

Thomas stuttered, lost for words as he thought over this. "B-both, I guess."

Anna nodded, as if expecting this answer. "And thanks for singing to me that day after I fell out of the tree. You have a beautiful voice."

He looked away, embarrassed by the compliment. "It was nothing," he mumbled.

"Thomas." Anna reached for his gloved hand and held it in her own bare one. He looked to see her smiling genially at him, a rare gentleness spreading over her face. "Really, I mean it. Thank you."

His posture relaxed, and a warm smile appeared without him even knowing it. "You're welcome. But I'm not singing for you again."

"You're no fun."

"You're too much fun."

Anna stuck her tongue out at him, eliciting a chuckle from him. She let go of his hand, and Thomas was surprised to feel himself wishing that she had held onto it longer.

"Will we be at your house soon?" she asked as they continued to walk.

"Almost. We live pretty far into the forest. At least there's no annoying neighbors around."

Anna shook her head. "Always the jokester."

"Thanks for coming out here."

"It's my pleasure. I'm excited to meet Mimmi."

A silence followed, during which Anna contemplated asking him about his parents when she gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head. _"I won't trouble him. He'll tell me when he wants to."_

"Mimmi's going to make finnbiff," Thomas spoke up.

Anna stopped abruptly, her face devoid of all color. "Finnbiff? Reindeer?" she asked in a trembly whisper.

"Yep." The whole kingdom knew of the royal family's love of reindeer. Well, actually the family's varying degrees of love, but love nonetheless. Eating reindeer to Anna was like going swimming in a sea full of snakes.

"Thomas. . . I'm sorry, but I don't think I can eat reindeer, I would never be able to look at Sven or Kristoff again without feeling guilty. I'm sorry." Her eyes were truly remorseful, and she felt absolutely horrible at having to turn away the supper Mimmi had made especially for today.

"It's fine, I understand."

"You do?" Anna felt a weight being lifted off of her chest, although her eyebrows shot up high in surprise.

"Yep. Especially since we're not eating finnbiff. We're actually eating lapskaus."

"You. . . _what?_"

"Lapskaus. Not reindeer."

Thomas knew that Anna had quite a temper, but wasn't anticipating her response to his small joke.

"Y-you. . . you _jerk!_" She shoved him back and stomped away, braids bouncing behind her.

"Anna, wait!"

Thomas soon caught up to her and stood in front of her, blocking her way. Anna scoffed and crossed her arms. "Anna, I'm sorry, I just wanted to mess with you."

"I know! You made me think I was gonna eat reindeer! I was about to cry for Sven's family!"

A small chortle escaped him, and he quickly coughed in an attempt to cover it up. Anna wasn't fooled.

"And now you're laughing at me!"

"No, Anna, I'm not. I swear." The grin on his face said otherwise.

Anna huffed and tried to step around him, but he only moved in front of her again. "Just let me go eat with your sister!" she cried out.

"I will, but I really am sorry, Anna. I didn't think it would upset you like this, I just wanted to play a prank on you." He placed his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look up at him. "I'm sorry, Anna."

She stared defiantly at him before sighing, turquoise eyes softening. "Okay. I accept your apology. And I'm sorry for shoving you. I guess I sorta went a bit crazy," she mumbled as she gave a sheepish shrug at the end of her sentence.

"I'm used to it. Now, come on, we better get there before Mimmi gets mad at me for taking so long to get you there." He removed his hands and continued on, Anna by his side.

"Do you live to make everyone angry at you?" Anna asked.

"Nope. Just you and my sister."

"I'm honored."

"As you should be."

Anna gave his shoulder a shove, making him laugh. "Do you live to hit and shove everyone?"

"Nope. Just you."

"What about Kristoff?"

"I leave that to Elsa."

The two continued to talk and bicker playfully until they reached Thomas' home.

"Here we are. Sorry it's so small."

"I like small. It's a nice change from the huge castle." Anna's eyes roamed over the diminutive house in awe.

With a sigh, Thomas opened the door for her. "Come on in."

They entered the front room, the comforting smell of food filling the air. Anna breathed in deeply, reveling in the atmosphere. "That smells amazing!"

"Mimmi'll be happy. Mimmi!" he called.

A girl of fifteen emerged from a smaller room, wiping her hands on her apron. She had the same dark-brown hair as Thomas, although hers was more lustrous. Her eyes were of a soft gray hue, and her petite figure almost reached Anna's. "Princess Anna! Welcome!" she shyly spoke as she dipped into a curtsy.

"Oh no! Please, just call me Anna."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive."

After a quick glance at her brother as if to confirm this, she nodded. "Okay then. Hi, Anna. I'm Mimmi." She gave a timid wave.

"Hi, Mimmi. Thomas told me a lot about you."

"He did?!" Mimmi glared at Thomas.

Anna laughed, the glare not escaping her eye. "He didn't say anything bad about you, don't worry."

"Yeah, I saved that stuff for tonight to tell her in front of you," Thomas teased.

Anna smacked his arm while Mimmi flushed, her eyes narrowed at him. "You're lucky Anna's here, otherwise I'd beat you up."

"See? She's abusive, like you," he said in a not-so-secret aside to Anna.

"Hey!" both girls exclaimed.

Thomas shook his head with a smile, evidently pleased with having managed to annoy both girls at the same time. "I need to go change out of my uniform, I'll be back. Mimmi, take care of her." He headed towards the back of the house.

"I will. So, Anna. You like lapskaus?" Mimmi hopefully asked.

"I love it. Although Thomas told me we were eating finnbiff."

"Sounds just like him. Come on, I'll take you to the table."

To Anna's surprise, Mimmi took her by the hand and led her to the kitchen. A small table for four sat in the middle, the stove on the left side and cupboards on the right.

"Sorry it's not very big," Mimmi mumbled as Anna sat down at the table.

"No, no! It's fine! It's cozy." Anna didn't want her and Thomas to feel ashamed of what they had; she had already fallen in love with their home.

Mimmi turned to the stove and ladled out the stew into three bowls.

"Can I help with anything?" Anna asked.

"No, you're our guest. It's fine."

Anna sat there, twiddling her thumbs under the table. She felt like she should do something, but if Mimmi said it was fine. . .

Thomas came in, dressed in a simple shirt and trousers. "Smells good, Mimmi."

"Thanks. Ta-da!" Mimmi placed a bowl in front of Anna and then Thomas, going back to the stove to retrieve her own.

"Wow, this is amazing!" Anna whispered. It was different from the lapskaus she ate at home. It was more. . . soothing.

"Oh, it's just stew," Mimmi replied as a warmth spread over her face.

"It's better than any stew I could make."

"She's right," Thomas interrupted. He ate a spoonful, looking down into his bowl. "She'd probably burn the castle down."

"That's not true! The most I've ever done is make a small fire."

"Multiple times."

"You know, you and Elsa must be keeping count or something. You guys are the only two who remember how many times I've burned stuff."

"And undercooked things. Oh, and added wrong ingredients."

Anna narrowed her eyes at him. "Thanks."

Mimmi watched the exchange interestedly, occasionally bringing the spoon to her mouth. "Is he always like this around you too?" she curiously asked Anna.

"Yep. Sometimes worse."

"Hey, I'm right here," Thomas interjected.

"Shh, I'm trying to talk to your sister." Anna waved his comment away and gave all of her attention to Mimmi, answering all of the girl's questions with a few peals of laughter here and there.

Thomas watched in amusement as the two girls all but forgot their food while chatting heartily with one another, as if they had known each other their whole lives.

* * *

"Thanks for coming."

"Thank you for having me."

"It was all Mimmi's idea."

"Still. Thank you, Thomas."

The two walked side-by-side down the hills towards the castle. Mimmi and Anna had spent hours together talking about various things.

Anna had listened intently to all of Mimmi's stories, and Mimmi had asked Anna about life in the castle.

Mimmi had stopped going to the public school five years ago to take care of their mother and the house while Thomas went off to work. He had taken small odd jobs before being accepted as a royal guard. He never ceased to feel guilty whenever he thought of Mimmi having to cut what education she could get short to stay home. Add that to the fact that was always alone, rarely interacting with girls of her own age. He wasn't exactly sure why, but he felt that their mother's illness had started to separate her from the others, leaving her alone in a world that they couldn't even begin to comprehend. She always seemed scared of girls her age, acting as if they would shun her if they knew about her mother's condition.

His mother's illness. After she had started to shut him and Mimmi out, he had been filled with anger and confusion. How could she break down now, when her children needed her the most? Over time, the anger had turned into cold acceptance. He had tried to help her, to provide for all of them until she got back up again. But she refused to leave her room, sometimes just staring at the wall or out the window. She didn't respond to him, only turning to look at him with eyes the same color as Mimmi's, but duller. He knew that she couldn't bear to look at him for long because he had inherited her husband's gentle green eyes. She would glance at him and then quickly look away, pain taking over her features. After a while, Thomas had stopped going to visit her. Mimmi brought her meals, changed her clothes, kept her clean, and kept her company. It broke his heart to hear Mimmi singing and talking to a person who might as well not have been there.

There were days where their mother would whisper a few words, usually directed towards her husband. Mimmi would run to Thomas, face alight with hope. "She said something! Maybe tomorrow, she'll talk to us!" Thomas could never find it in his heart to dampen her spirits, so he agreed hollowly.

"Thomas?"

He looked to see Anna staring at him, and suddenly realized that she had talking to him while he had been thinking.

"Sorry, I was just. . ."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Anna pulled him to a halt, one hand firmly on his arm. She didn't say anything at first, simply searching his face for answers. "It might help to talk about what's bothering you."

From the way that she said it, Thomas guessed that she spoke from experience. With a sigh, he brought a hand to his face, massaging his forehead. "It's my mother."

"Is she. . . alright?" Anna asked in a cautious whisper.

"No. My father died when I was fifteen. After he died, she just fell apart. She's stayed in her room everyday since then, talking to him. Mimmi stays with her. She gave up school to take care of her." Thomas's other hand clenched into a fist.

"We've tried for years to get her to come back to us, but nothing works. She doesn't care about anything anymore. Mimmi still hopes that she'll snap out of it one day, but. . ."

"You don't think so," Anna finished for him.

"Does that make me a bad person?" he brought his hand down from his face to see her expression.

She wore a small, understanding smile on her face. "No. It makes you human."

He took in a ragged breath, and suddenly felt weak. "I'm sorry, can we-"

"Of course." Anna seemed to know what he was going to say before he did. She carefully pulled him down with her, both of them sitting on the grass.

"I still think your mom will make it," Anna spoke up.

Thomas flashed her a doubtful glance. "How? I've spent years living with her, and you've never met her." He felt her hand stiffen on his arm in response to his cold tone, and instantly felt guilty. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's fine. And you're right, I've never met her. But Mimmi has. She still believes. And I believe in her."

"But what if she's wrong?"

"We don't know yet. The best we can do right now is to just wait and see. Maybe Mimmi's visits help her. We can try different ways to bring her back."

"We?"

"I want to help. I'll do anything I can to help you and Mimmi out. You can't lose hope, Thomas."

He closed his eyes, thinking over something in his mind. "Did you ever lose hope?"

"Once. When I was stuck in Hans' dungeons. We had been there for about a year when I started to give up on ever making it back home."

"What brought it back?"

"Elsa. It was a cold night, and I could see my breath in the air. I tried to make it better by thinking about Elsa and her magic. Then I remembered all of the times we spent together, especially when I broke my arm. I fell out of a tree while we were playing when I was five, and she carried me back to our room, knowing that our parents would be mad if they found out. Eventually, they did, but she stood up for me. She took most of the blame, even though I was the one who came up with the idea. In that cold cell, I told myself that I couldn't give up, I had to get back home to her and protect her from Hans, to be there for her. I owed her at least that much. Turns out, Elsa can protect herself, but that promise I made with myself kept me going."

Thomas slowly opened his eyes. In the moonlight, Anna appeared to be glowing. Her hair gleamed, and her eyes shone with a light he had never seen before.

"Thomas, will you make me a promise?"

He blinked, caught off guard by her question. But he owed her this much, at least. She had cheered up his sister, and comforted him. "Of course."

"Promise me that you won't give up on your mother." Anna held her pinky out to him, like how she used to seal her promises with Elsa.

"I promise." Thomas's pinky met hers, and she shook them in agreement.

"Okay. I'll hold you to that, Mr. Hat," she spoke, the corners of her mouth turning up.

He grinned back, surprised at how easily she had been able to lift his spirits. "We should get you back home."

"I can walk by myself."

"Your sister would kill me."

". . . Okay, fine."

The two walked comfortably in silence the rest of the way back, at ease as they wandered through the rest of the forest and then through the quiet town. When they reached the castle gates, a few guards spotted them from above and opened the gates from inside.

Anna turned to Thomas with a smile. "Thanks. I had fun."

"Thanks for coming, and for the pep talk."

"It was nothing. Don't forget your promise."

"I won't."

"G'night, Thomas."

Before he could respond, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek, and swiftly walked back into the castle. If he had been able to see her expression, he would have noticed the spread of pink across her cheeks and the grin that she tried, to no avail, to fight back.

As the gates closed behind her, Thomas stared at her retreating figure in wonder.

"Goodnight, Anna."

* * *

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter devoted to Thomas' backstory. :) As for our secret villain, she'll be making another appearance in the next chapter. **

**Until next week!**


	5. Chapter Five

**Hi again! :)**

**taylorjago: Haha, yeah, I can imagine that taking away some of the appeal. :p Wow, that's quite a long walk. :o**

**Asteroth1: Haha, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to! Thank you for the kind words! :D**

* * *

"Anna, what are you doing?"

Anna dropped the book she was holding and glanced over to see her father standing in the doorway.

"Oh, Papa! I was just, umm. . . reading."

Agdar raised an eyebrow in doubt. Although Anna enjoyed reading, she was rarely discovered reading quietly in the library. "Reading what, may I ask?"

"A book," she slowly replied by way of evasion.

Her father chuckled as he walked closer, and bent down to pick up the fallen book. "I guessed as such."

"Oh, Papa, you don't-"

Anna bit her lip as Agdar stood back up, examining the cover. "A History of Mental Illnesses Related to Grief? Anna, why do you need this?" he asked worriedly. Perhaps his daughter had been more shaken up by their imprisonment than he thought.

"It's. . . not for me."

"Then who is it for?"

"I can't say."

Agdar frowned. "Anna, I want to help you, but I can't if you don't tell me what's happening."

"I can't tell you because. . . it's not my story to tell." Anna averted her gaze and traced the intricate patterns of rosemaling on the rug with her foot nervously.

Her father regarded her with a pensive stare before sighing. "Fine. I'll respect your wishes." He held held the book out to her, the perfect state of its cover revealing that it had never been touched.

"Thank you, Papa." Anna carefully took it from him, thinking that he might change his mind.

"If you need any help, don't be afraid to come to me."

"I won't. And. . . Papa?"

"Yes?"

"Are you going to tell Mama and Elsa about this?"

Agdar sighed and crossed his hands behind his back. "Not now. I'm willing to keep your secret for now. But if anything happens, I will have to tell them."

Anna nodded. "Thank you, Papa." She suddenly embraced him in a warm hug, catching him off guard. He stumbled and righted himself before returning the hug, chuckling to himself.

As quickly as she had rushed forward to embrace him, Anna pulled away and planted a kiss on his cheek before rushing to the door. "Bye, Papa!"

"Goodbye, Anna. I wish you luck in helping Thomas."

Anna's eyes widened in surprise. "How did you know?"

"We ask our staff questions when they come to look for a job, just to make sure that they're good, hard-working people. Although he told us of his mother and sister, he didn't tell us the whole story. Which is fine; we wouldn't have pressed him for more. I'm proud of you, Anna."

Agdar's smile warmed Anna's heart, and she clutched the book more tightly against her. "It's nothing. I just want to do whatever I can to help."

"You'll find a way. You always do."

With a thankful grin, Anna headed out, leaving Agdar alone.

"Just like her mother," he murmured softly to himself.

* * *

"Strawberries. I'm impressed, oh Red Princess."

"You mean Chocolate Red Princess, Mr. Hat."

Thomas shook his head with a smile before reaching into the basket for a strawberry.

The two had settled for a spot next to a gentle, shimmering river. The summer heat didn't bother them, as there were plenty of trees to use for cover.

Thomas noticed that Anna had brought a book out with her, but didn't ask any questions since she hadn't brought it up.

"I found a book today," Anna spoke up, her loud voice disturbing whatever peace they had been able to find near the river.

"Really? I never would have guessed," Thomas joked as he pointed at the book in her hand.

She scowled before bringing it more clearly into view. Although the book was old and faded, Thomas could vaguely make out the words on the cover. "Anna, what is this?" he warily asked.

"It's a book that I think could help us with your mother. There are a whole bunch of cases about people who've gone through the same thing."

"How did they recover?"

"For most, it took years. Some never really recovered. But that doesn't mean that your mother can't! They had help from people around them. After they went through the motions of living again, it was easier for them to move on."

"So what you're saying is that we should get her out of bed."

"Yes. At her own pace, of course," Anna hastily added. "We don't want to rush her, otherwise she could get worse, not better."

Thomas nodded. "Thanks, Anna. And don't say it's nothing," he added before she could speak up.

She closed her mouth, a tiny smile spreading over her face. "You're welcome."

Thomas suddenly felt an intense warmth rush over his face and reached for another strawberry. "Umm. . . so about last night. That goodbye."

Although he didn't look at her, Thomas could guess from the silence that Anna felt as nervous as he did.

"Yes?" she finally spoke up in a squeak.

He turned to face her, head on. "What did I do to deserve that?" he asked with what he hoped was a normal grin, although his stomach twisted itself into knots. He desperately wanted to know why she had kissed him. And how he could get another. Wait, what?

"Well, maybe I just wanted to," Anna replied in a light sing-song voice.

"Really?"

"Mmhmm." She leaned closer, until her face was about an inch away from his. "Maybe I want to again."

Thomas was surprised by this new side of her. He had never learned how to flirt. He had always been terribly shy, and had never paid attention to girls ever since he had to step up as master of the household. But he was a fast learner.

He closed the distance between them until their noses touched. "I'd be okay with that."

Both of them stared at the other, each waiting for the other to make a move. When both were about to advance, a sudden shout broke them apart.

"Hi, guys!"

Anna shrieked and nearly fell over, while Thomas tried to steady her.

Olaf and Sven had snuck up on them, Olaf with a beaming grin and Sven with a knowing expression.

"Olaf! Sven!" Anna gasped. "H-how long were you guys there?!"

"Long enough to see you guys have a staring contest. But weren't you guys too close for a staring contest?" Olaf asked innocently.

Thomas stifled a laugh while Anna elbowed him. "You're right, Olaf," she replied. "Duh, of course! Well, looks like we learned something today, right Thomas?"

"Right," Thomas spoke in between bouts of laughter.

Sven gave a snort, making Anna giggle nervously. "What, Sven, no. I-we, we're just hanging out!"

The reindeer wasn't buying it.

"Okay, you guys can't tell anyone else about this. Especially Elsa

"Why? Will she be mad that you had a staring contest without her?" Olaf questioned.

"No. She'll tease me forever about. . . something. I'll tell you guys someday!"

"_Anna_, we wanna know now! Right, Sven?"

Sven gave a grunt of agreement.

"I'd love to explain, but. . . we actually have to go somewhere! Come on, Thomas!" Anna leaped up, taking the basket and book in one hand and Thomas's hand in the other as she broke into a run.

"Where are you guys going?" Olaf yelled after them.

"To his house. But I promise we'll be back later!"

"Okay!" Olaf exclaimed. "Sven and I'll be around, probably going to go play at the orphanage! Bye!"

"Bye!" Anna ran off, dragging Thomas with her.

"Are we really going to go try it right now?" he asked her breathlessly.

"Yep. There's no time to waste!"

* * *

Once they had explained their plan to Mimmi, she had agreed wholeheartedly to help.

"I'll stay near the door, so she can't see me," Thomas murmured as they entered the small bedroom.

Both girls nodded and slowly approached the bed, Anna staying at the foot of it while Mimmi took a seat at her mother's side.

"Hi, Mama."

No response. Her mother lay there, unblinkingly staring off into nothingness.

Mimmi took in a deep breath and leaned closer. "Mama, do you want to try and get up today?"

Nothing changed, except for an almost imperceptible hitch in her breathing.

"I brought a friend here today, Mama. She's gonna help me try and get you up. Okay?" Mimmi nodded towards Anna.

Anna slowly walked to the other side of the bed, and carefully picked up the woman's frail hand. "Hi, Mrs. . ."

"Stordahl," Mimmi supplied.

"Mrs. Stordahl. I'm Anna. I'm a friend of Mimmi's. She really wants to help you, but we can't unless you want to be helped. Will you let us get you out of bed?"

Anna let out a surprised gasp as Mrs. Stordahl's eyes focused on hers. The woman seemed to be searching the luminescent orbs, entranced by something she found there. "Mimmi?" Anna asked in a whisper.

Mimmi stood up and took her mother's other hand. "Mama, we're gonna help you up now, okay?"

When they heard neither a refusal or sound of acknowledgement, Mimmi placed her other hand behind her mother's back, trying to push her up into a sitting position. Anna soon caught on, and the two of them were soon able to get her to sit up in bed.

"Okay. Can you stand up for me?" Mimmi asked.

After a few moments of silence, Mimmi and Anna exchanged a worried glance. Were they wrong to think that she would react in some way? Suddenly, Mrs. Stordahl swung her legs to Mimmi's side of the bed and started to stand up.

Mimmi put an arm around her mother's form, supporting her weight while Anna rushed to the other side to help.

"Open the door," Mimmi whispered to Thomas.

He nodded and slowly opened the door, taking care to slip out before his mother caught sight of him.

"Mama, we're gonna take you to the kitchen, okay?"

Mrs. Stordahl stared at her daughter blankly before giving a small nod.

The three women took their time making their way through the house to the kitchen. Mimmi and Anna settled Mrs. Stordahl into a chair before Anna took one of her own.

Mimmi went to the stove and got a bowl ready. "D'you want some, Anna?" she asked, her voice shaky from nervousness.

"I'm fine." Although Anna noticed Mrs. Stordahl's eyes still on her, she didn't say anything about it.

Mimmi came over and placed a bowl of porridge and a spoon in front of her mother. "Here, Mama. Enjoy."

At first, Mrs. Stordahl stared at the bowl, as if unsure of what it was. Anna worried her lip between her teeth while Mimmi rocked back and forth on her heels. Finally, Mrs. Stordahl picked up the spoon and started to eat.

Although it took a while with her small, careful spoonfuls, she eventually finished the whole bowl. Throughout the whole time, Mimmi's eyes had gradually been growing wider and wider in awe.

Mrs. Stordahl placed the spoon back in the bowl where it gave a small clink of finality.

"What. . . d'you wanna do now, Mama?" Mimmi hesitantly asked.

Her mother seemed to be thinking over this, when she finally opened her mouth. ". . . Tired," she whispered.

Mimmi nodded enthusiastically. "Of course, that's good enough for today. We can try tomorrow too!" She helped her mother up and with Anna's assistance, both got her back to her room and into her bed, where she immediately drifted off to sleep.

The two girls met Thomas in the main room, where he had been reading over the book that Anna had brought. "How'd it go?" he cautiously asked as he got up.

"Thomas, she ate a whole bowl of porridge! She hasn't done that in ages!" Mimmi squealed.

Thomas shot Anna a disbelieving look, to which she replied with a grin. "It's true. She even spoke to us."

"She did?"

"Yeah! She said that she's tired. Isn't that great, Thomas?" Mimmi spoke up happily.

Although he wouldn't count being tired as an inprovement, Thomas gave Mimmi a gentle smile. "That's great."

"We're going to try it again tomorrow."

"We?"

"Yeah, me and Anna."

"Mimmi, I don't think you should take advantage of-"

"Don't worry," Anna broke in. "I'm happy to help."

Mimmi turned and gave Anna a hug, wrapping her arms tightly around the girl. "Thank you, so much, Anna. We didn't know what to do, and I was so worried, and-"

Anna returned the hug wholeheartedly, resting her head on top of Mimmi's. "Thank the book. It told us everything we needed to know. And don't worry. She's gonna be okay. I know it."

A small sniffle escaped Mimmi and she pressed her face into Anna's shoulder. Anna brought her hand up and stroked Mimmi's hair comfortingly, like her mother had done for her numerous times.

Thomas came closer and rested a hand on Mimmi's shoulder. "We can do this, Mimmi," he spoke firmly. "Mama'll be alright."

He caught Anna's eye and mouthed a thank you. She shook her head, and gave him a serene smile.

They were in this together.

* * *

"Interesting. I've never seen him before. Or his sister."

The woman now living in Elsa's ice palace watched through her mirror of ice as Anna, Thomas and Mimmi all talked to each other.

"But if she likes him, I'll leave him alone."

She waved her hand over the mirror, changing the image. Now she could see Elsa talking to Kristoff in the castle, both of them looking a bit uneasy as they looked over lists.

"Wedding planning. Hah. What a fool. She doesn't need a man."

Elsa reached over to Kristoff and tousled his blond hair playfully. He grinned in response and returned the favor, making her hair stick out randomly in places. As the two laughed and tried to get back at the other, now having completely forgotten the lists, the woman watching rolled her eyes in disgust and waved her hand again.

This time, she could see Agdar and Idun in the castle study. Idun sat on the couch, nose buried in a book as she read intently. Agdar seemed to be talking to her while scanning the titles. When he realized that she wasn't listening, he walked over a planted a kiss on her cheek.

Idun gasped in shock and placed a hand over her heart, trying to steady her breathing. Agdar laughed and took a seat beside her, trying to catch a glimpse of what she was reading.

With a serene expression of amusement, already having forgiven her husband for startling her, she moved the book so that both of them could read it together. They sat on the couch, Agdar's arm around his wife as she leaned her head on his shoulder, peacefully content.

The woman's hands balled up into fists at her sides as she watched the two in the library. "Those two are still alive here," she hissed.

With a shriek of rage, she brought her fist to the mirror, the satisfying crack filling her ears.

Suddenly, she turned around and fell to the floor, bringing her hands up to cover her ears, as if trying to shut some noise out. "No. . . stop! It was an accident!" she yelled.

In a burst of anger, she gave a piercing scream. Ice instantly shot out, radiating from her body.

She buried her face in her hands and fought against the heaving sobs that escaped from her. "Stop, stop it," she muttered angrily to herself. "You're stronger than this. Stop. Stop it. What was it Papa always said? Conceal, don't feel? Hah. He didn't understand anything."

Now having calmed herself down, the woman removed her hands from her face, firm resolve taking hold of her features. "Are you proud of me now, Papa? Or are you still as scared and resentful of that little girl as you were so many years ago. I guess we'll have to see."

* * *

**The suspense increases! **

**I hope that the part with Mrs. Stordahl seemed believable. I know someone very close to me that has also suffered from depression, and incorporated a bit of my own experiences and memories into this chapter.**

**Fall is coming, and that means college applications. Hooray. And on top of that, It's only the end of the first month of school and I'm doing horribly in math. It's a good thing that I prewrote some chapters, otherwise I would probably have been a bit late with the updates. (Yay for planning ahead!)**

**Until next Sunday! **


	6. Chapter Six

**This week has been hell. But at least there's an update! **

**I decided to put this up a day early since**** I'm going to be busy tomorrow. :( But hey, early update! **

**psalty: Thanks! You'll have to wait and see. :)**

* * *

It had been a week since Mimmi, Anna and Thomas had gotten Mrs. Stordahl to get out of bed. Since then, the three had managed to get her to eat all of her meals at the table, go for walks in the garden, and to address them all, even Thomas.

She had taken to Anna instantly, giving her easy smiles just as she did to Mimmi. None of them knew why she felt so comfortable around a girl she had only known for a week, but they encouraged whatever got her out and moving.

"I like posies," she confided to Anna one day while the two sat on an old bench in the garden. Mimmi had gone to town with Thomas to buy some goods that they needed.

"I like them too." Anna had been careful to limit her speech, worried that her easy flow of words would cause the woman to clam up.

Mrs. Stordahl closed her eyes and tilted her face to the sky, lips turned up slightly. "Pål, the flowers are blooming," she whispered.

After hearing Mrs. Stordahl talk to Pål all week, she safely assumed that he was her deceased husband. "Mrs. Stordahl?" she quietly asked.

"Dianna."

Anna's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Had she forgotten Anna's name already? She had known it for a while, and had even addressed her as such. "Actually, it's Anna, but-"

"Call me Dianna. Not Mrs. Stordahl. It makes me feel old," the woman murmured, eyes still closed.

"Oh. Okay. Dianna. . . what was your husband like?" Anna had blurted this last part out, scared of causing her to have a panic attack, but her burning curiosity got the best of her. She looked down quickly, a grimace on her face as she instantly regretted her words.

There was no response for a while, and Anna had started to fear the worst. "I-I'm sorry, you don't have to, I mean, I didn't want to make you _uncomfortable_ or anything, I-"

"You're very talkative," Dianna cut her off. "Like Mimmi." She slowly opened her eyes and fixed her gaze steadily on Anna's. Anna was surprised to see clear, bright gray eyes, instead of the dull ones she had grown used to seeing.

Anna blushed, and ducked her head down. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to. . . disturb you," she trailed off.

"You didn't."

Dianna folded her hands in her lap and stared at a clump of daises growing in a corner of the garden. "Pål was very wise. Very kind, and selfless. Thomas takes after him, both in appearance and character. That's why I could hardly bear to look at him."

Anna gave a small nod. Thomas had told her that his mother couldn't look at him, and she had guessed the reason why.

"Pål was a sailor. He loved the sea. But the life was too hard for him. He worked too hard. Worked himself sick, always staying out in the cold longer than he should. One winter, he got sick, and didn't get better."

One of Anna's hands moved to rest on top of Dianna's folded ones. "I'm sorry," she quietly spoke.

"I am too."

A cool breeze appeared, blowing Dianna's loose, dark blonde hair back from her face and playing with Anna's braids. Their skirts rustled slightly, and then settled back into place.

"But Pål died for what he loved. For the family that he loved. It took me a long time to realize that. I was so furious with him, for a long time. How could he die so easily? He was such a strong man. I despised the sea for so long. I didn't want to go outside, to look at the sea. I was selfish."

Dianna gave a soft sigh, and turned to face Anna. "I left my children. And now they've grown into adults. I missed out on their lives, because of my anger and my grief."

"It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anyone's," Anna softly consoled her.

"It's still too late." Dianna's eyes welled with tears, and she covered her face with her hands, sobbing into them.

Without a moment of hesitation, Anna embraced the small woman, holding her protectively in her arms. "Shh, it's okay. You're here now. And they love you. Do you know that?"

Dianna gave a small nod, and started to hiccup. "I do. And I love them," she gasped out.

"That's good. They'll do anything to help you. We'll make it through this, together, okay?"

Anna pulled away, holding onto Dianna's shoulders. "I promise you, it'll get better." She gave the woman a warm smile, full of hope and kindness.

Dianna returned the smile with a tiny one of her own. "Thank you, Princess Anna."

"Wait, how'd you know?" Anna stammered out in surprise. She had been introduced as Anna, and had never hinted at her title to the woman.

"I'd remember that hair and those eyes anywhere. I saw you in town, many years ago, with your mother and sister. You were a small thing, barely able to keep up with your family. But you were so full of life. However, if I remember correctly, I thought you had. . ."

"Disappeared," Anna finished for her. "It's a long story. I'll tell you someday. Right now, we should get you inside and ready for supper."

The two slowly walked back into the house, both changed for the better after that conversation.

* * *

Elsa lay on her bed, stomach-down, with her legs crossed in the air behind her. She was engrossed in the tome before her, eyes flitting from page to page as she read.

Anna burst into the room, breathless from having run from the Stordahl's house back to the castle. She quickly grabbed a nightgown and changed out of her dress, sighing in relief when she felt the soft feel of cotton around her.

Without looking up, Elsa spoke. "You're late. Again."

"I know, I know, I'm sorry. I was just helping."

"Helping Thomas?"

"Um. . . yeah." Anna had started to fidget slightly, knowing that nothing was left unnoticed by her sister.

"Anna, calm down, I'm not going to do anything." Elsa finally looked up and patted a free corner of her bed. "Come on."

Relieved that she wasn't about to be heavily questioned, Anna ran over to Elsa's bed and plopped herself down on her sister's back.

"Anna, I-I can't-"

Elsa struggled to breathe as Anna quickly scrambled off of her, moving to the other side of the bed. "Whoops, sorry," Anna sheepishly replied. "I guess I just sorta got carried away."

"It's fine, no need to apologize. You've been more cheerful lately. Although, you're always cheerful." Elsa sat up, folding her legs underneath her, before raising an eyebrow in her sister's direction. "Is it because of Thomas?" she lightly teased.

"Wh-what?!" Anna sputtered in surprise.

Elsa burst into laughter, the sound pealing throughout their room. "I thought so. Your face is red, Anna."

As Anna brought her hands up to her cheeks in an attempt to cover them, Elsa leaned forward, eyes alight. "So, why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Well, to be fair, you didn't tell me about Kristoff."

Elsa's narrowed eyes caused her to backtrack. "Okay, okay, I know why. Bad joke. I guess I just. . . wasn't sure."

"About?" Elsa gently asked.

"Everything. Would you and Mama and Papa approve? Does he even like me back? Does he even know? This. . . this is crazy!" Anna exclaimed in frustration as she waved her hands to convey her distress.

Elsa took hold of Anna's expressive hands, rubbing her thumbs over them. "Mama, Papa and I want you to be happy. I think it would be hard for us to dislike a man that you love. As for Thomas, you'll have to find out for yourself. Although, judging from the looks that I've seen him give you, I'd say he returns the feeling."

"Really?!"

"Would I lie to you?" Elsa joked.

"Yeah. You have before."

"Only for little things."

"Lying about whether or not you ate the rest of the pastries is _so_ not a little thing. Or if Kristoff and Sven got their spit all over the carrots."

"I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. And for the record, it's pretty much a given that the carrots are Kristoff and Sven's territory."

After a second of silence, both girls started to giggle uncontrollably.

"Okay, okay," Anna wheezed. "So do you really think I should tell him?"

"Of course. Unless you'd prefer to wait and see if he'll make the first move. Although, you're too impatient to wait."

"Am not!"

Elsa cast her a disbelieving glance.

"You're so mean when you're right," Anna mumbled.

"That's what older sisters are for."

Anna was about to grab a pillow and throw it at her when she caught sight of Elsa's book. "Whatcha reading?"

"The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte."

"Sounds boring."

Elsa swiftly turned around to grab a pillow before throwing it at her sister.

"Okay, it's not! Don't hurt me!" Anna squealed.

"It's actually quite interesting. I like learning about other countries and figures of history."

Anna feigned a dramatic yawn, ducking before Elsa's other pillow impacted with her. "Haha, you missed!" A snowball to the face quickly cut her off.

She quickly swiped the snow off of her face. "No fair! No snow magic!"

"Take it back."

"What?!"

"Take back what you said," Elsa spoke with a mischievous smile.

"Haha, never! I won't go down th- ahh!" Another snowball hit her in the face. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry about what I said about Napoleon Bonapartie!"

"Bonaparte."

"Whatever! Just, no more snow to the face!"

With a flick of her wrist, Elsa managed to get all traces of snow to disappear. "Come on, we should go to bed."

"Mmkay! Oh, did you and Kristoff get all of the preparations done for the wedding?"

"Almost. We still have quite a bit to do."

". . . That doesn't sound like almost done."

Elsa sighed. "I know. We just. . . don't know how to deal with all of it. You'd think it would be easy to pick what kinds of flowers you want, but there's always all of these suggestions being pushed under our noses. The easiest decision was the wedding cake."

"Chocolate?!"

"And vanilla. Just because we love chocolate, doesn't mean that all of the guests will too." Elsa raised an eyebrow at Anna's defeated expression.

"What else do you have to do?"

"Seating arrangements, numerous things related to decorating. There's only three weeks left; how are we going to get all of this done in time?"

"I'll help."

"But aren't you busy helping Thomas?"

"Oh. Yeah. Umm. . ."

"Papa told Mama and I about that."

"He did?! But he promised not to!"

"Anna, he was worried about you. We would never talk about Thomas' family without his consent. Has there been any improvement?" Elsa asked in concern.

"A lot. It's only been a week, but she already goes outside and talks to us. She recognized me."

"Did you tell her about. . . those years?" Elsa was still hesitant to bring up those six years of separation.

"No. Not yet. I figured she's already got enough trouble trying to get back to normal, so I'll save the sob story for another time."

"Are you okay? I know we already talked about this as a family, but when Papa saw you with that book, he was just. . . scared for you."

"Papa? Scared?" Anna couldn't even begin to imagine it.

"That's why he told me and Mama. He was worried that you had been affected more than we thought by those years in the Southern Isles."

"I'm fine, Elsa. I've got you guys, and Kristoff, Sven and Olaf, and Thomas and his family. I'm okay."

Elsa's eyebrows furrowed in worry. "Okay, but if you do feel worried or depressed, please tell someone. I already thought I had lost my beautiful younger sister once. I can't lose you again." Her voice trailed off into a soft whisper.

Anna pulled her sister into a tight hug, resting her head on her shoulder. "I'm not going anywhere, Elsa. I promise."

Elsa wrapped her arms around Anna in return. "Okay. I'll hold you to that."

"Same goes for you. If you get all mopey on me because you remember those times and you give yourself a huge guilt-trip, you better tell someone. Promise?"

A small laugh escaped Elsa. "I promise. I won't leave you, Anna."

* * *

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!**

**Once Upon a Time has returned to TV! I've been watching it ever since the first season, and I have high hopes for this one. I love the Frozen arc already. Georgina Haig, I've always loved her since Fringe, and Elizabeth Lail is the most amazing Anna! :D Have you guys been watching it too?**

**Until next Sunday!**


	7. Chapter Seven

**Hi again!**

**taylorjago: Haha, thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it! :D**

**psalty1: Netflix is amazing! It's not on cable, I'm pretty sure ABC is one of those channels that everyone in the US can get. :) Hope you enjoy this chapter then!**

**Asteroth1: It's fine, don't worry! :D You'll have to wait and see. ;)**

* * *

The woman huffed in disgust as she crept around the back of the castle.

"So this is what I've been reduced to? Sneaking around the back of my own home like a thief in the night. . ."

She ran her hands over the wall, searching for the door hidden by vines. When she found the old doorknob, she slowly opened it, for fear of getting caught.

"Interesting. This castle has the same door."

She slipped through and silently entered the castle, scoffing to herself as she noted how easy it had been for her to enter without being spotted. "If this were my castle, there'd be guards everywhere. . ."

After wandering through the hallways, hoping that the rooms were in the same place as the ones in her own palace, she came across the former King and Queen's bedroom.

Taking in a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, she quietly opened the door.

Agdar and Idun lay sleeping peacefully in their bed, Agdar's form stretched out while Idun lay curled in on herself.

The woman crept closer, mouth slightly open in shock. These people who resembled her parents were. . . so vulnerable. No matter. They were the same as her own parents had been. Cold, cruel, and distant. She didn't believe they could be anything other than that.

She raised her hands, ready to attack when Idun stirred in her sleep.

Idun mumbled softly to herself and blearily opened her eyes. She blinked a few times and sat up. "Elsa, what is it, dear? Your dress. . . it's different."

The woman stood there in shock, unsure of what to do. Her mother. . . looking concerned for her? Was this really happening? "I-I. . ." she stammered out.

Agdar stirred and got up, woken by the murmurs. "Elsa? What's happened to your dress?"

"Nothing's wrong with my dress," the stranger hissed. What was wrong with wearing a dress of black ice?

"Elsa, dear, what's wrong?" Idun reached forward for her hand, worry on her face.

The woman instinctively drew back, but not before freezing Idun's hand.

Idun stared at it, stupefied while Agdar looked furiously from his wife's hand to the woman's face. "Elsa, stop it. What's gotten into you?! Unfreeze your mother's hand."

Suddenly, his mouth had been frozen over. Muffled yells of frustration escaped Agdar as Idun tried to calm her husband.

"Enough," the woman resembling Elsa spoke. "If you make any noise, I'll kill you."

"What have you done with Elsa?" Idun asked in a whisper. "Where's Anna?"

"I haven't done anything to your _'Elsa'_ yet. As for 'Anna', I have big plans for her." With a smirk, the woman came closer.

Agdar glared up at her while Idun stared at her in horror, arms placed protectively on her husband's back.

"You two aren't the same as my parents, are you? Interesting. If I had been born here, maybe things could have been different. . ."

"We don't know what you're talking about. Just. . . just let us help you. Please," Idun pleaded.

"Oh, I would never trust you two to help me. Although you two seem nothing like my parents, what's to stop you from turning into them?"

She gingerly placed one hand one Idun's forehead. Both flinched as her cool skin came in contact with the warmth of Idun's.

"Please, don't hurt them. I beg you, leave them be. Do what you want, just leave our daughters alone." Idun's voice trembled as she closed her eyes, not wanting to see this woman who looked so much like her daughter wear such a malicious smile.

"I can't promise you anything. However, I will take you up on the second part of your deal." A surge of blue left the Elsa look-alike's palm, instantly highlighting and freezing over Idun's form.

Agdar yelled in vain, the ice over his mouth muffling the sounds. He stared wide-eyed, horrified at what was happening.

Idun was frozen in place, but her veins had been highlighted by the intruder's touch, making them stand out bright-blue against her skin.

"Now, for you,_ Papa_."

Agdar glanced back at the woman, anger filling his eyes. His breath quickened as he realized what was coming next.

He got up quickly and was about to push her to the ground when he felt a searing pain in his legs. He looked down to see them frozen in place to the floor.

"Oh, Papa. You can't win against me like that." With a soft giggle, the woman thoughtfully ran a finger over her necklace. Agdar felt like he had seen it before, somewhere. . . but where?

"I wish I could say I'm sorry, but I can't. Looks like this is goodbye again, Papa." She swiftly pressed her hand to his forehead and watched as his body froze over, the blue color of her ice running through his veins and making them contrast vividly against his skin.

She stepped back, examining her work. "Well, that's two down. Interesting. I wonder how similar my other self is to me. And how similar this 'Anna' is to my own dear sister. . ."

Filled with pride by her victories over Agdar and Idun, she quickly left the room in search of Kristoff's.

* * *

Although it took a few tries, after looking into a few empty guest rooms, she followed the sound of loud snoring to a room at the end of a corridor.

She entered the room silently, and stood looking over Kristoff's sleeping figure.

He lay sprawled out on the bed, a line of drool trailing from the corner of his mouth.

"He's more handsome than I thought he was. Although, the drooling is quite the turn off." She smirked and ghosted a thumb across his cheek. "Poor, poor Elsa. Doesn't she know that there's no room to love anyone else? How can she have enough love for a sister, parents, and a lover? Although, her so called _love_ for you will come in handy. . ."

She moved her hand to his chest, watching for any sign of response.

Although there was a slight hitch in Kristoff's breathing, he remained deeply asleep.

"My, my. Doesn't even wake up at an Ice Queen's touch? Seems like he's used to having cold hands on his chest. Dear Elsa, someone's been a flirt." She stifled a laugh, instead smiling impishly.

She concentrated all of her power to her hand, and watched as the area under it started to glow a brilliant cerulean shade.

After a few more seconds, she brought her hand back. "There, you're mine now."

Kristoff shuddered in his sleep and turned onto his side. "Elsa. . ." he murmured.

The lady took a step back in fear. Had she woken him up?

"Elsaaa. . . don't give Sven all the carrots. . . Anna, get off of that. . ." he continued to mumble sleepily.

Put at ease, she returned to her place by his bed. "A sleeptalker too. My other self certainly has good taste in men," she sarcastically whispered to herself.

Leaning forward slowly, she planted a kiss on his forehead. A smile broke out on her lips, and she pulled away.

As she left the room, she glanced back one last time. "I've gotten your parents, and now I have your silly love under my control. All that's left is you, and your dear sister."

* * *

"Mama and Papa have never been this late to breakfast."

"Don't worry. Last night, Papa told me that they had a bunch of paperwork to sort through. They probably stayed up for most of the night. They'll be here soon."

Elsa gave a slight nod, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. She could feel a thin layer of ice start to coat her hands.

Kristoff reached for her hand underneath the table. "Don't worry." He gently massaged the back of her hand, not minding the feel of the newly formed ice on her palm.

She gave him a tiny smile of gratitude. "You're right," she spoke out loud to both Anna and Kristoff. "Shall we start?"

Anna was about to ask Olaf to pass the syrup when Kai burst into the room.

He ran over to Elsa's chair, breathless and face startlingly pale. "Y-Your Majesty."

"What is it, Kai?" Elsa stood up from her seat, placing a hand on his shoulder in an attempt to calm him. She had never seen him so shaken up; whenever the family had been plunged into times of distress, he had been there to be their steady guide. Elsa could feel her legs start to tremble as her mind raced through numerous scenarios that could bring strong, authoritative Kai to such a state.

"Queen Elsa, it's your parents."

* * *

She had never run so quickly in her life.

Elsa ran through the hallways, Anna, Kristoff and Kai close by. Olaf struggled to keep up with their pace, but kept silent. He knew that now was not the time for his questions.

When they reached the main bedchamber, Elsa stopped abruptly, almost causing Anna to run into her. Her hand hesitated over the doorknob.

"This can't be real."

"Your Majesty, you don't have to see-"

"No. I'll be fine. I need to do this. For my parents." She looked back to see Anna's bright eyes dulled, and Kristoff's radiant smile replaced with a look of sorrow. "Anna, Kristoff, you don't have to come in. You too, Olaf," she added.

Anna defiantly shook her head. "I'm coming with you, Elsa." Kristoff gave an abrupt nod of agreement, still too shocked to speak.

Olaf stepped closer to her, letting her know that he would be by her side.

With a deep sigh, Elsa turned the knob.

The room was still dark, drapes still closed over the windows. As soon as Elsa caught sight of her parents, she crumpled to the floor.

"M-Mama. . . Papa. . ."

Anna cautiously entered the room, eyes widening in fear and shock when she saw the two frozen forms. "W-w-what. . . " She joined her sister on the floor and buried her head on Elsa's shoulder.

Elsa still couldn't process all of this. Her parents, frozen? Cheerful Anna sobbing into her shoulder? Anna. She had to take care of her. Whoever had done this was no doubt after the royal family.

Ignoring the tears that streaked down her cheeks, Elsa lifted Anna's head up so that she could look her sister in the eye. "Anna, you should leave."

"What?" Anna asked in a broken whisper.

"You shouldn't have to see this. Kristoff, please take her back."

Kristoff had been standing in the doorway surveying everything with pained eyes, not wanting to intrude on such a moment, but wanting to comfort the two. He stepped forward and gently took hold of Anna's arm.

She quickly pulled it out of his grasp and turned back to face Elsa. "No, Elsa. I'm staying. Someone did this to them, and I can't leave you here alone to figure this out by yourself."

"Anna, I-"

"No. I'm staying. We can do this. Just don't shut me out. Please. Not when we really need each other." Anna placed her hands firmly on Elsa's arm, gaze trained on the other's.

Elsa's eyes started to well up again. "Okay," she whispered back. "Okay." She pulled Anna into her arms, listening to her ragged breathing as she fought to stay calm.

"They have lines all over them."

Both girls and Kristoff looked up to see Olaf standing in front of the two figures.

"They were found like that," Kai spoke up from behind Kristoff. Even the servant had started to cry as he witnessed the two girls fall apart in front of him.

"Who could have frozen them?" Olaf breathlessly asked, eyebrows raised in concern. "The only one who can do this is Elsa. . ."

"We've never heard of anyone else with the same abilities as Queen Elsa," Kai spoke. "And Queen Elsa herself has never been capable of. . . freezing one's veins."

Elsa shuddered. She had never even thought of trying it. To kill someone by freezing their veins over. . . what kind of person would have done such a thing?

Kristoff moved so that he was standing next to Olaf, in front of the two statues. "He was trying to. . . fight someone off?" He stretched a shaking finger out and placed it lightly on Agdar's outstretched hand.

As soon as he did so, a loud gasp escaped him, and he crumpled to the floor.

"Kristoff!" Elsa and Anna both got up and ran over to his fallen figure. Olaf shook his arm desperately, terror on his usually beaming face.

"I'll go get help!" Kai rushed out of the room, his voice echoing in the hallways as he shouted for assistance.

"I-I'm okay. . ." Kristoff groaned as he tried to get up.

Elsa pushed him back down with a gentle hand as she knelt down beside him. "Kristoff, your chest!"

All four of them looked to see a faint blue not unlike the blue of Agdar and Idun's frozen figures over Kristoff's heart.

Quickly, Elsa moved his vest out of the way and unbuttoned his shirt so that they could see it more clearly.

"Elsa," Kristoff spoke up as he blushed furiously.

"Hush. Now isn't the time to be embarrassed about exposing your chest." She gasped as she saw the familiar blue lines of frozen veins over part of his heart. "Kristoff, y-you. . ."

"What?" He looked down to see what she was worried about. "Is. . . is that. . ."

"A frozen heart." Anna anxiously spoke. "Elsa, can you unfreeze it?"

"I-I can't! I can only control my creations. H-how. . . who did this?" Frost started to cover the floor around them.

Kristoff reached for Elsa's hand, holding it against his chest. "Hey. Look at me."

Elsa's azure eyes flashed up to meet his own, hers wide with terror.

"I'm gonna be okay. Don't worry. We'll find out who did this. It doesn't look like it's spreading."

"But-"

"Shh. Promise me that you won't worry yourself sick about this. There's bigger things to take care of right now. I'll be okay."

"Kristoff, but you-"

"Promise me."

Elsa's eyes shut as tried to fight back the sobs that tried to escape. "Okay. I promise," she breathed.

"Good. Don't cry." He placed a hand on her cheek. "Come on, let's see that smile."

She slowly opened her eyes to see his own staring warmly back at her. She forced a tiny smile onto her lips, watching as he gave a smile of his own in return.

Anna placed a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Could. . . could it be a sort of sickness?"

"I don't think so. Kristoff's the healthiest out of all of us. It has to be something else. However, we should still have everyone check themselves for any signs."

Anna nodded with fervor. She went over to Olaf's side and took the small snowman into her arms, both for his protection and her own comfort.

At that moment, Kai burst into the room with Gerda, a few more servants and Dr. Thomsson.

"Your Majesty. Princess Anna. Sir Kristoff," the doctor quickly greeted them as he crouched down beside Kristoff's prone body. He placed a bag down on the floor next to him, and pulled on a pair of gloves.

"How long has it been like this?" he asked Kristoff.

"I don't know. We only noticed it right now." Kristoff groaned as the doctor examined the area.

"Sorry. Do any of you have it also?" he asked Elsa and Anna.

"We don't believe so. Kristoff. . . touched Papa's hand for a second and then fell to the floor," Elsa replied.

Dr. Thomsson's mustache moved slightly as he thought to himself. "Perhaps the mark doesn't manifest itself unless the person comes into contact with another of the mark. However, it is another question as to how this was contracted."

"Is it really an illness?"

Dr. Thomsson gave her an uneasy glance. "Honestly, Your Majesty, I don't know. Sir Kristoff seems to be healthy and well, but the mark seems to be saying the opposite. It could be some strange form of magic."

Elsa's stomach turned in on itself as what he said made itself clear in her mind. "Then it's true. Someone did this to him. To them."

She raised a hand to her cheek, where one of Kristoff's still rested. She pulled it down from her face, but entwined her fingers with his. "I have to go tell the rest of Arendelle about this. . . magic. I won't have anyone else suffer the same fate as our parents. Will you be okay?"

"He'll be okay," Anna broke in. "Olaf and I will stay with him. Maybe we can get Sven to come visit too." She noticed her sister's nervous expression and despite her fear, managed to push her mouth up into a tiny smile.

Anna's ability to still function somewhat properly despite what they just learned encouraged Elsa to do the same. "Okay. Thank you, both of you," she addressed both Anna and Olaf.

Kristoff squeezed her hand. "Go. We'll be okay."

With one last parting glance, Elsa unwillingly removed her hands from Kristoff's and headed to the door, Kai and Gerda close behind.

"I'll send some guards to watch over you," she told the group. "In fact, I should double the guard around the castle. Arendelle's never had many guards around since we've always been a tranquil country, but. . . times change."

Kai nodded and headed out in front of her. "I'll go alert the guards right away."

"Thank you, Kai." Elsa turned back briefly to face Anna. "I'll send Thomas along with the guards to look over the room. He is the only one allowed in the room with all of you. He's the only one I trust to look after you."

Anna's spirits lightened a bit at that. Having a familiar presence around would remove a bit of the stress surrounding all of them. She could understand why Elsa wanted the other guards to stay outside the room. At times like these, it was best to keep the ones you trusted close by. She and Elsa didn't want to have to doubt their staff, but they couldn't take any risks. "We'll be in good hands then," she replied.

Elsa gave a short nod by way of acknowledgement and swiftly left, Gerda trailing her.

"Anna," Kristoff spoke up.

Her eyes met his. "Yeah?"

"If I get worse. . . don't tell Elsa."

"Wait, _what?!_ I can't lie to Elsa! And plus, she deserves to know!"

"I know. But if she hears that I'm getting worse, she'll worry even more about me, and then she won't have enough time to help the rest of Arendelle and find the guy responsible for this. Please, Anna. Just. . . if it gets really bad, then you can tell her."

"W-what counts as really bad?"

"Something similar to the fate of your parents, Princess," Dr. Thomsson said.

"You too, Doctor," Kristoff spoke. "Can I count on you too?"

The doctor stiffened at this. "I don't feel comfortable keeping things from the Queen."

"Please. If she gets mad at you, I'll take the blame for it. Even though she promised me that she won't worry herself a lot about this, we all know that she will. I don't want to add any more stress."

A long exhale escaped the doctor. "Fine. But if things take a turn for the worse, I will have to tell the Queen."

"Thanks. Anna? Olaf?"

Olaf's fingers absentmindedly played with each other as he sat in Anna's lap. "If it'll help Elsa, then. . . okay," he uneasily replied.

"Thanks, Olaf. Anna?"

Her eyes narrowed accusingly as he fixed his gaze on hers. "I really don't wanna keep this from her. You know she'll be_ really_ mad when she finds out."

"_If_ she finds out."

Anna's eyes narrowed even more. Finally, her shoulders slumped and she exhaled deeply. "Okay. But you better fight to stay healthy."

"Of course."

A corner of her mouth twitched up. "We're all gonna make it through this, okay?" she asked him, both of then aware of the shakiness in her voice.

Kristoff didn't expect any less from the relentlessly optimistic girl. With a small nod to seal his fate, he started to become aware of the heaviness on all of their shoulders. "You bet."

* * *

**Ah. I'm sorry if you're mad at me for killing off the parents. And for possibly putting everyone in mortal danger. But just wait and see, things'll get better. I promise.**

**If you're a Harry Potter fan and you love Frozen (well obviously you love Frozen, otherwise you wouldn't be here), check out the Exolvo tag on Tumblr. It's an amazing community of people who have mixed the fandoms together. Elsa is placed in Slytherin and Anna in Gryffindor. There's even an amazing masterpost that has a timeline for this AU and links to various stories and discussions. Go check it out! By the way, have you guys ever taken the Harry Potter Sorting Hat Quiz? Proud Hufflepuff right here.**

**See you next Sunday!**


	8. Chapter Eight

**Hi again! Decided to update this a day early because I am going to be ridiculously busy tomorrow. **

**Asteroth1: I'm sorry, don't kill me! :P Well actually. . . things might get a bit worse before they get better. Agh, I feel really bad now. Apologizing in advance. I'll check it out, thanks! :D**

**taylorjago: Thank you, lovely! :D**

**psalty: Haha, those must have been quite the insults! :p I'm sorry, but things'll be fine in the end, trust me. :D**

* * *

"People of Arendelle, thank you for gathering here quickly."

Elsa stood on a balcony overlooking the front courtyard. Kai had gone out with some of the guards to the town in order to gather the surrounding townspeople. Getting all of the inhabitants living in the surrounding forest and beyond would have taken quite a while, so Elsa had decided to settle for first alerting the ones nearest the castle. News would travel to those living farther away soon enough.

"I have called for you all to warn you of a possible threat to Arendelle."

Gasps scattered throughout the crowd and people started to whisper to each other.

"A strange illness, or some form of magic has. . . killed my parents, Ministers Agdar and Idun Christiansen. And now, Sir Kristoff Bjorgman shows signs of having the same ailment."

The murmurings grew wilder. Elsa clasped her hands more tightly together and glanced worriedly at Kai. He gave her a reassuring half-smile.

Elsa turned back to face the crowd. "I do not know who or what is responsible for this, but I will find the source of this. Those who were affected by this had a strange blue marking on their body. It appears to freeze one's veins. I urge you all to please make sure that you are all free of such signs when you return home. For Sir Kristoff, the mark didn't manifest until he came into contact with my father. It doesn't seem to spread, but we should all still take precaution."

"Your Majesty," a tall, middle-aged man spoke up. "What are the symptoms, if I may ask?"

"Of course. So far, Sir Kristoff shows no symptoms. All that he has now is the mark. He appears to be the same as usual. However, we are still keeping a close watch on him. We weren't able to notice any symptoms with. . . with my parents."

The man nodded in response. "Will Your Majesty please inform us if there is any change in Sir Kristoff's health?"

At first, Elsa thought he was just worried about getting the symptoms himself, but the genuine concern in his eyes amazed her. This man truly wanted to know if Kristoff would be all right. She suddenly recognized him. "Yes, of course, Mr. Bergen." The storekeeper sold goods pertaining to care for animals. Many a time had Kristoff told her about his fair prices, jolly spirit and love for animals.

Mr. Bergen bowed in response. "We all wish Sir Kristoff well. And. . . we're grieved to hear of the Ministers' deaths. Former King Agdar and Queen Idun didn't deserve such fates."

The rest of the people following his example, dipping into bows and curtsies.

Elsa fought back a sob and cleared her throat. "Thank you," she barely managed to get out.

She dropped into a curtsy herself, despite knowing that they wouldn't be able to see much of it from where she stood. "Again, thank you all for coming. I will inform you all of any changes."

Having given permission to leave, the people headed back to town, talking amongst themselves.

"You did well, Your Majesty." Kai bowed to her as she turned to leave.

"Thank you, Kai. I couldn't have done it without your help."

"Me? I was simply there for support."

"Nevertheless, thank you."

Although Elsa smiled at him, Kai could easily tell that it was forced.

She started walking down the hall, prompting him to walk alongside her. "Now, I asked the ministers to come for a meeting after the announcement. I hate to leave Anna and Kristoff, but-"

"Go with them."

"Excuse me?" Elsa abruptly stopped and looked at him in confusion.

"Your family needs you. I'll stay with the ministers for a few hours, when you come back we can all go over what to do next. Please, Queen Elsa."

She was about to argue against this when Kai shot her a pointed, almost authoritative glance. She had been used to these as a child, when she and Anna were caught leaving tracks of mud on the carpet or jumping on the couches.

"Alright. But if anything goes wrong, please, send for me."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

"Thank you, Kai. Again. I. . . I don't think the castle would run half as well without you here."

Kai gave a small chuckle. "That's all your doing, Your Majesty, but I'm grateful for the compliment."

This time, Elsa's smile was a bit more genuine.

* * *

"Where's Olaf and Dr. Thomsson?"

Elsa walked over to the other side of Kristoff's bed, as Anna and Thomas were on the other.

"Olaf's with Sven, telling him about what happened. Dr. Thomsson left after your announcement. Lots of people are gonna go to him asking for check-ups," Anna quietly replied.

"Oh no, Sven," Elsa breathed. She sat down on the bed close by where Kristoff lay. "I hope he'll be alright."

"I wish I could see him. But Olaf will keep him company," Kristoff said. He took her petite hand in his own large one. Elsa was surprised to feel that his hand strangely, still felt warm. Through his shirt, she could faintly make out the glow of the ice near his heart.

"How's your heart? Is it spreading?" she l but whispered as she lightly placed her other hand on top of it.

"It's fine. Nothing's happened."

Elsa turned to look at Anna and Thomas. "Is he lying?"

Both instantly felt a sense of guilt. As soon as Thomas had entered the room, Kristoff had made him swear to uphold the same promise as Anna, Olaf and Dr. Thomsson.

"He's fine." Anna wasn't lying. At least, not yet. She dreaded possibly having to lie to her sister, should Kristoff's condition get worse.

"Thomas, I'm sorry, but with things around here being the way they are, I hope you understand when I ask that you keep an even closer eye on Anna now, and also Kristoff. I can't lose them."

Thomas's eyes glinted with a fierce determination. "Of course, Your Majesty. I'll do whatever I can to keep them safe."

"Thank you. You will still keep the same hours, I don't want you to sacrifice your health for us."

"I don't mind. I'd be glad to stay here through the night also."

Elsa gave a small shake of her head. "No, please. Everyone should be able to return to the comforts of their home. I've doubled the guards, I trust that we'll be safe through the night."

Despite the uneasiness in his stomach, Thomas complied. The Queen's word was final.

"Elsa, what are we going to do about. . . about Mama and Papa?" Anna whispered.

"I don't know yet. We don't know what's happening. I think that we should wait until we find out who is responsible for this, and if there is any way to reverse it. We'll lock their bedroom, make sure that no one can tamper with them. If we can't do anything for them, then. . . we'll have a proper burial for them."

Anna gave a small nod. She had thought of doing as such. However, the thought of leaving her parents locked in a room terrified her. There had to be some way to bring them back. There had to.

"Do you two have the mark?" Elsa anxiously asked, by way of changing the subject.

"Nope. I left to go check a few minutes ago, and Thomas just came back a few seconds ago after checking. Olaf doesn't have it either, although I'm not exactly sure if he can," Anna replied.

Elsa let out a sigh of relief. "Good."

"What about you?" Anna nervously asked, her voice barely making itself heard.

"I checked before I came over here. I don't have it. Although, I'm not sure if I'm able to get it."

"Good. You're safe," Kristoff murmured.

Elsa's turned back to him, pushing her lips up into a smile. "But I'm still going to take care of you, even if it means risking my health."

"Elsa, you can't-"

She quickly silenced him with her lips, pressing them against his. His eyes widened briefly, and then fluttered closed. Anna and Thomas quickly looked away, not wanting to intrude on such a tender moment. Anna's hand reached for Thomas', holding onto it tightly for support.

Elsa slowly removed herself from Kristoff, but still remained by his side. "Don't worry about me. All I care about is keeping you and the others safe."

Kristoff stared intently into her eyes, an unspoken argument being carried out between them. "Fine," he grumbled.

"We'll find all of this out in time for our wedding." Kristoff noted how Elsa's voice lingered on the last two words.

"Elsa. . . maybe we should have it sooner."

"What? Why? We still have two weeks. You'll be fine by then," Elsa firmly spoke.

"Two weeks is a lot of time. I don't know what'll happen-"

"_No_, Kristoff. Nothing's going to happen. I won't let it."

Kristoff gave a low chuckle. "Sadly, life doesn't work like that. You and I both know that. Please. This is all I'm asking for. To be able to call you my wife, before. . . before things go bad."

A stifled cry escaped from Elsa's throat. She pressed her face to his chest, crying quietly. Kristoff gently brushed a hand over her hair, tears starting to well in the corners of his eyes.

The familiar motion made Elsa remember her mother. How many times had her mother comforted her in this way? And now, she and her father were gone. They hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye. Elsa understood why Kristoff was asking for such a thing, but she didn't want to acknowledge the reason behind it. _"But I'll do whatever it takes to keep him happy."_

She looked up at him and wiped away a few tears that had escaped his eyes. "Today?"

"What?" Kristoff's eyes shot open in surprise.

"Today. I'd love to marry you today, Kristoff Bjorgman. I'd marry you any day."

A tiny grin appeared on Kristoff's face. "I'd marry you any day too. Are you sure? I mean, I didn't mean to-"

"Hush." Elsa placed a delicate finger over his mouth. "I'll go send for the bishop. We'll find a way to get Sven in here."

"No, I can go outside. We can get married in the gardens." Both silently added 'our gardens' as an afterthought. It was true. That was where they had their first kiss, where Kristoff had proposed to her.

"I'll go get the bishop! Come on, Thomas!" Anna was out the door before either one of them could stop her.

"Are we really doing this?" Kristoff asked in awe.

"Yes," Elsa replied, amusement in her voice. However, her face instantly fell as a thought crossed her mind.

"Elsa? What is it?" Kristoff sat up, terror-stricken eyes trained on her expression. "Are you okay?"

"It's nothing. I. . . I was wondering i-if. . . we could postpone the wedding night. It wouldn't be right, what with everything going on right now, and-"

"Oh. O-of course." Elsa looked up to see Kristoff, face red, as he answered her. Both felt unbearably awkward about even bringing the subject up. "It's too soon. Today's not just for us, but for them too."

Elsa's appearance softened. "Thank you." She swiftly turned away in order to hide the sudden flush that had risen to her face. "Well, now that that's out of the way. . ."

Kristoff got up and offered Elsa his arm. "Are you ready?"

"I've never been more ready for anything else in my life."

* * *

The two stood under a group of trees, the bishop in front of them and their guests in behind.

Anna and Thomas had brought Sven and Olaf over, and had alerted Kai and the ministers of the change in plans. They had come along, and with them the rest of the castle's servants.

Elsa wore her usual dress of ice, while Kristoff remained in his simple shirt and trousers. Both of the sisters had felt a pang of grief in their chest at not having their mother and father there with them. They would never see Elsa, the radiantly blushing bride in her beautifully crafted wedding dress. It seemed only fitting that everyone remain in what they were wearing now.

They had just reached the exchanging of the rings.

Kristoff took Elsa's hands in his own. "Elsa, I've never met anyone like you. My life changed when I met you. You make me laugh, even when you don't mean to. I love the way you giggle, your weird dislike for pears, your stubbornness, the way you take pride in your magic. I love the way you read, always ready to dive into the book. I love how you listen to all of my stories, no matter how uninteresting they might be to you."

"They never are," Elsa softly interrupted.

With his usual crooked grin, he continued on. "But most of all, I love the way you care for people. Your never-ending love for your family, for Anna, for Arendelle. I love you, Elsa."

He carefully slid the wedding band onto her finger, his trembling hands managing to get it on in one motion.

A pretty grin spread over Elsa's face. "Kristoff, when I first met you on that cliff, I was immediately caught by your awkward, caring nature. You're brave, selfless, kind. You saved me, and my family. I owe you my life."

Kristoff was about to speak up when she quickly shook her head. "I won't let you dispute it. I'm yours, for as long as you'll have me, Kristoff."

"Forever," he replied.

"Forever. My mother once told me that the best couples are the ones who are able to balance each other out. I believe we've found that, in each other. Your warmth melts through my cold exterior. Despite coming from different lives, I've never found someone who fits so perfectly with mine like you. It seems like we were meant to be. I'm happy to spend the rest of my life, listening to you snore in bed, watching your eyes light up whenever I display my magic, feeling your warm hand in mine. I'm ready to spend the rest of whatever time we have together. Whatever happens, I love you. Always." Elsa slid the wedding band onto his finger.

The bishop cleared his throat. "Do you, Sir Kristoff Bjorgman, take this woman to be your wife?"

"I do." Kristoff's voice rang out, strong and clear.

"And do you, Queen Elsa Margrete Dorothe Christiansen of Arendelle, take this man to be your husband?"

"I do." No one could doubt the confidence in her voice.

"I pronounce you two man and wife. Prince Consort Kristoff, you may kiss your bride."

Kristoff let go of her hands to gently cradle her face. Elsa's hands rested on his chest, and her heart raced in nervousness and impatience.

His lips met hers, both of them melting into a simple, yet passionate kiss.

Cheers erupted from the staff and family, and the two broke apart, bashfully smiling.

Anna was the first to greet them, pulling them both into a hug. "I love you guys so much," she whispered as tears streamed down her face.

"I love you too," Elsa replied while Kristoff gave a low, "Me too." Anna pulled back and regarded the two with an appreciative look. "Mama and Papa were so happy for you two. They're still here, you know. In spirit."

Elsa's breathing hitched as she listened to her sister. Anna was right. _"I love you, Mama, Papa," _she thought to herself. "I know. I can feel it," she replied out loud.

Anna gave her a gentle grin, one that shocked her by it's difference to former ones. The grin Anna wore now wasn't as light-hearted as it once was. So much had happened to her little sister. She reached for her hand and pulled her closer, until Anna stood on her other side. "Today's a day for family, both new and old."

Anna's eyes widened as she realized what Elsa was saying, and leaned on her sister's shoulder. Kristoff gave her shoulder a squeeze. "Hi there, little sister."

She closed her eyes in contentment. Even though she had Elsa had lost their parents, they could never truly be taken from them. They would always be with them, watching as their family grew bigger and bigger.

* * *

**While looking up Norwegian names for Elsa's middle names (because the nobles are known for having multiple middle names), I picked these because of the meanings.**

**Keep in mind, the names might have different meanings for different cultures. Also, the website I got it from might differ from other sources.**

**• Elsa Margrete Dorothe**

** - Elsa: oath of God**

** - Margrete: pearl (her beauty is like that of a pearl's!) **

** - Dorothe: God's gift (I feel like her parents would've felt so blessed, that ****they would have picked this as a middle name.)**

**Okay, I've finished the rough drafts for the rest of the story, so I'll be changing the schedule for updates.**

**10/18 (Today): Chapters 8 and 9**

**10/21 (Tuesday): Chapters 10 and 11**

**10/24 (Friday): Chapters 12 and 13**

**10/26 (Sunday): Chapters 14 and 15**

**10/27 (Monday): Chapters 16 and 17**

**10/28 (Tuesday): Chapte**r **18 and 19**

**10/29 (Wednesday): Chapter 20 and Epilogue**

**Hope you guys are as excited as I am! This was an amazing experience, getting to share with this story with all of you, and I hope you guys enjoyed it! Sadly, this will be my last story. Who knows, I may come back someday, but for now, my future is (sadly) one that doesn't have posting more stories to Fanfiction or any other sites in general. **

**Thank you all for joining me on this adventure, and I hope to see you until the end! **


	9. Chapter Nine

**Please don't hate me for this chapter.**

* * *

"Oh god, really?" The woman scoffed. "Now they're getting married? Nothing brings her down."

Looking into the mirror, Elsa and Kristoff seemed completely at ease in each others arms as they accepted congratulations from the rest of the castle staff.

The strange ice-mage walked out onto the balcony. She leaned on the railing, one head in her hand as she looked off into the distance.

"Nothing works. I freeze her parents, freeze part of her 'true love's' heart, and she's still smiling?! How am I supposed to destroy her and take her sister when nothing obviously brings her down?!"

In a fit of frustration, she stomped her foot, causing spikes to radiate behind her.

"Wait. Her sister. That's it!" She swiftly turned around, only to see the spikes in her way. With an impatient wave, they disappeared, leaving her free to walk back inside.

She practically ran to her mirror, watching as it showed her Anna's smiling form talking to Olaf with Thomas beside her.

"Her mother called her 'Anna'. Not the same as my Annika, but close enough. If this 'Elsa' is even a bit similar to me, she'll do anything to protect her younger sister. All I have to do is put this Anna in harm's way, and Elsa will be absolutely vulnerable. Of course, Anna will come out unharmed. Elsa will sacrifice herself for her sister. Hmm, there's one redeeming quality, I suppose. And with that blond man under my control, I might be able to carry out this plan."

She gave a mischievous giggle before placing a hand on the mirror. "But what about dear Anna's boy? He obviously cares about her. I'll have to find some way to get him away from her. Or, I could wait until nighttime. The boy's duties end after supper. _Perfect._ Tonight, then."

* * *

Anna sat in a chair by the fire with Olaf sitting on the floor close by. She absentmindedly flipped through the pages of a book on sorcery. "There's nothing in here about ice magic." With a discouraged sigh, she closed it and placed it on the floor.

"It's okay, Anna. We'll find something," Olaf spoke as he patted her arm comfortingly.

Elsa looked up from where she sat reading on the loveseat. "Anna, it'll be getting late soon. You don't have to stay up with us."

"It's only eleven! I'll be fine. Hand me another book, please?"

Rolling her eyes, Elsa tossed one of the books from a growing pile on a table nearby to her sister.

"Thanks. Any luck yet?"

"No. No wonder Mama and Papa seemed so lost when they tried to teach me."

Kristoff walked over to the table and placed a handful of books on top of the pile. "I don't think there's any more books about magic. Should we look in the town too?"

"It wouldn't hurt to try." Elsa gave him a grateful smile, then promptly returned to scanning through the book.

A strange gasp suddenly escaped from Kristoff.

"Kristoff? What is it?" Elsa quickly stood up, dropping the book to the floor and placing her hands on his face.

"I-I-" His words suddenly cut off as his hands moved to her upper arms, grasping them tightly.

"Kristoff, what are you doing?" Elsa tried to break free, but to no avail.

"It's not me! I-I can't control myself!" His grip grew tighter and tighter, and Elsa fought back a yelp.

Anna stood up, about to run over and try to separate the two when the door suddenly flew open, revealing a hooded stranger.

"Who are you? How did you manage to get past the guards?" Elsa demanded, her arms starting to grow numb.

The stranger removed her hood, watching them all with her icy stare. "Well. You certainly are a sight, dear Elsa." Her lip curled into a smirk.

"Elsa, it's. . . _you!_" Olaf gasped.

The stranger placed a hand over her heart. "What an insult. Although, we do look quite similar, don't we?" She had her hair styled the same way Elsa did, and even wore the same dress. However, that's where the similarities ended. Her dress was made of black ice, and her makeup was more darker, applied with the intent to make the shadows on her face stand out. But what was most bizarre was her strange pearled necklace with its medallion. She ran a finger over it thoughtfully, eyebrow raised in a challenge.

Elsa looked her up and down suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"Queen Elise Marianne Isolde Christiansen of Arendelle."

"Christiansen?" Anna whispered in disbelief. "Are you. . . are you family?"

Elise's gaze paused on Anna's wary stance, eyes softening as she thought of how similar this girl was to her own dear sister. "No," she distantly replied. "Not exactly." She brought a hand up, causing ice to travel up Anna's legs until they stopped above her knees.

"Leave her alone!" Elsa hissed, unconsciously ignoring the pain in her arms as she watched this woman freeze her sister in place.

"Oh, it's merely a safety precaution. What I'm really here for, my dear, is _you."_

"You're the one who froze my parents. You froze part of Kristoff's heart. Why? Why did you do it?"

Elise walked over to her, waving a hand in Kristoff's direction. Immediately, he let go.

"I. . . I still can't move. Why are you doing this? How are you doing this?!" he growled, as Elise stopped in front of Elsa.

"That ice that I placed in your heart? Through that, I can control you. Funny you never learned how to do it," she spoke with a smirk, addressing Elsa in the last sentence.

"I would never take control of someone's body," Elsa coldly replied.

Elise gave a simple shrug. "Your guards were no match for me."

"What did you do to them?"

"Oh, I subjected them to the same fate as your parents. It could also be dear Kristoff's fate, if you don't cooperate."

She quickly brought her hand up, waiting for Elsa's reaction as Kristoff fell to the floor, writhing in pain.

"Kristoff!" Elsa took a step forward while Elise gave a disappointed sigh. "If you move, I'll have to make it worse." As if to prove her point, Kristoff's cries grew louder.

"Just leave him alone! Leave all of them alone! Do what you want with me, but leave them alone!" Elsa pleaded desperately.

"Interesting. Your mother basically said the same thing before I froze her."

Elsa's eyes narrowed, but she held herself back._ "Conceal it. You have to stay calm, for them."_

"Oh, don't worry. Your parents didn't suffer. Neither did your guards. Although, I'd happily make an exception for Kristoffer."

"Kristoff."

Both women looked up as they saw Olaf's small body next to Kristoff's. He was holding one of Kristoff's hands in both of his own, staring up at Elise with a growing fire in his eyes. "His name's Kristoff."

"And look, you've made a snowman. You know, I didn't have you back in my world."

"Why don't you go back to where you came from?" Elsa challenged.

"I would if I could, dearie. My life's quite the sob story. Do you want to hear it?"

"Not really," Elsa muttered between clenched teeth.

"But I thought you wanted to know why I came here?" Elise countered in a sing-song voice.

"Why?" Anna's clear voice rang out. "Tell us."

Elise regarded her with a solemn expression. "I had a sister once. her name was Annika. She looked just like you. She was always laughing, always wearing a beautiful smile on her face. One night, when she was five and I was eight, we were playing one of out usual games in the Great Hall. I would catch her as she jumped by making mounds of snow. However, I tripped and fell. In an attempt to try and catch her, I accidentally froze her heart. Mama and Papa ran in, yelling at me for not keeping her safe. They told me to unfreeze her, to do something, but I couldn't. I killed my sister that night."

Anna and Elsa could only listen in shocked silence. Was this they way their lives could have gone too, if things had been different?

"The castle gates were closed for years. Mama and Papa wouldn't dare expose their precious kingdom to such a volatile daughter. Everyday, they told me that I had to try more to be _normal. _They hated me. They hated my powers for taking away their youngest. When I turned twenty-one, ready to come of age, I killed them. I took the throne. I showed all of Arendelle what I could do. No one would call the Snow Queen a monster. I plunged Arendelle into an eternal winter, took advantage of neighboring countries, had a whole kingdom of people to do with as I pleased. But something was missing. Nothing mattered, if I didn't have Annika."

"I looked through old books on magic in the library. I found out about some old trolls who lived deep in a valley, who possessed an old necklace with great power. Perhaps then I could bring her back from the dead. The troll most acquainted with magic refused to give it to me. Only after I froze his people, did he give it to me. I asked him how to bring back the dead, but he told me that it was impossible." Here, Elise scoffed in disgust.

"This necklace of power couldn't even do that? He said something about how the will and heart of the wearer determines its power. Only the pure-hearted can bring about powerful magic, blah blah blah. I decided that if I couldn't bring her back, I would simply go to another realm, one where my sister still lived. I had read stories about those kinds of things; people traveling to other lands to find themselves, but slightly altered. It didn't matter. As long as I had some form of Annika back, I would take it. And now you know."

"You. . . you're here to take me?" Anna asked in a fearful whisper.

"That was the original plan. But seeing as things are much better here than in my own fair kingdom, I thought I'd just. . . take my place here."

"So you came here to get rid of me," Elsa realized out loud, eyes narrowed.

"Well now, we can't have two Queens of Arendelle, can we?" With a giggle, she twitched a finger upwards, bringing Kristoff back to a standing position.

"You. . . you're insane! How could you do that, to your own parents?!" Elsa hissed.

Elise came closer, until she was only a few inches away from Elsa's face. "I would really watch what comes out of your mouth, if I were you." A dark shard of ice suddenly appeared in Kristoff's hand.

"You're not the only one I can hurt," Elise menacingly whispered. With a flick of her wrist, Kristoff started to walk over to Anna, arm raised with the shard in hand.

Elsa watched helplessly as Anna's eyes grew wider, both of them painfully aware of her inability to move.

"NO!" Kristoff protested as his body continued forward, now only a few inches away from Anna. "STOP! NO!"

In a quick second of decision, Elsa ran over to them, standing in front of Anna with her arms in front of her. She couldn't stop Kristoff for fear of hurting him, whether through her own actions or Elise's, and she couldn't unfreeze the ice around Anna's legs seeing as it wasn't her own, but she could take the pain for her sister.

"NO!" Anna and Kristoff screamed at the same time as the shard entered Elsa's heart.

She collapsed to the floor, bleeding heavily from her wound.

Anna and Kristoff knelt down beside her, both of them suddenly able to move, although they didn't have time to question why. "Elsa! Elsa, look at me!" Anna shrieked. Olaf quickly came over to stand beside her, watching in horror as Elsa bled out.

Kristoff took Elsa's hand in his own shaky one. "Elsa, no, you can't leave us. Please," he begged.

Elsa's eyes fluttered open to see them all staring down at her with tears streaming down their faces. She squeezed Kristoff's hand weakly and barely managed to raise her other hand to Anna's face. "I-I. . . love you all," she whispered. "Never. . . forget that."

Anna fiercely shook her head. "Never. You're not leaving, Elsa, you promised," she gasped out between sobs.

With a faint smile on her lips, Elsa closed her eyes, her last exhale hanging in the air.

"Elsa?! ELSA! NO!" Anna shook Elsa's shoulder. "Elsa, wake up! Please! Look at me! Look at Kristoff! Look at Olaf, just please open your eyes! Don't leave us, _please!_"

Kristoff bent his head over her cold body, more colder than usual now that all of the life had gone out of it. He gave low sobs, body shaking as his tears fell slowly onto their clasped hands.

Olaf closed his eyes in mournful recognition. He listened to Kristoff's quiet crying and Anna's watery sobs, not paying attention to the water that dripped from his own body.

Anna began to faintly hear the sound of. . . dripping? She looked towards the source of it and saw that Olaf had begun to melt. "N-no, Olaf, not you too," she stammered out.

Kristoff looked up in shock. "Olaf," he murmured, still in shock.

The snowman's eyes opened, surprised himself. "I. . . I guess that now Elsa's gone, there's nothing keeping me alive. . ."

"No, Olaf, you can't go too! Olaf!" Anna desperately cried, as if he were capable of deciding whether he could remain.

"I'm sorry, Anna. I'll be okay. I'll be with Elsa, and your parents. I won't be alone. And neither will you." His body had melted even further, leaving only a rapidly melting head behind.

Anna cradled it in her hands, shaking her head in denial. "Olaf. . ."

"It's okay. I love you guys." With a final smile, the rest of Olaf disappeared, leaving only a puddle behind in Anna's shaking hands.

* * *

**I'm so sorry. Please don't hate me. I swear, things'll get better. The heroes you know and love will find a way to fix things. Elsa, Olaf, Idun and Agdar will be back. Oh yeah, and Minister Elefsen. **


	10. Chapter Ten

**Welcome back!**

**taylorjago: Thanks! :D Yeah, that's the downside to it. :( Well, I'm glad there weren't any mean comments here. **

**Asteroth1: Looks like I'd better watch out for the mob. Don't forget feathers for tarring and feathering. :p**

**Early update befpre going to school. Hope you guys enjoy it! **

* * *

Thomas ran through the town, trying to avoid bumping into others. Everyone was headed for the castle; perhaps the Queen had more news on this strange illness?

As he entered the castle courtyard, he was stunned to see. . . Elsa? Was it really her? Anna stood to her right, eyes trained on her own feet in silence.

_What's happening?_

He moved through the crowd, apologizing profusely, until he reached the front. He tried to catch Anna's eye, but she didn't notice.

"Welcome. Thank you all for gathering here today. I have important news to tell you all."

Anxious glances were exchanged. The Queen's change in attire put them at unease. Perhaps it was her form of mourning clothes? Had something happened to Kristoff?

"You may think that I'm Queen Elsa, but you're all mistaken. My name is Queen Elise, the new Queen of Arendelle."

The reactions varied. Some watched, open-mouthed in silence, some with eyes narrowed, others with mild protests. "Wasn't Princess Anna to take the throne if anything were to happen to Queen Elsa? What's happened to the Queen?"

Elise's eyes narrowed to slits as she regarded the crowd. "Princess Anna has graciously granted me the title of Queen, as she has no experience in ruling over Arendelle. As for Queen Elsa. . . sadly, she passed away during the night."

Amid the gasps of shock, Thomas noticed that Anna shut her eyes tightly, as if in pain. _"Something's not right here."_

"I'm sorry, but such decisions cannot be made by one person alone. The council must also agree to this," Minister Elefsen warily spoke up.

"Do you not trust me?"

The meaning of the minister's silence was evident to everyone: _no._

"Hmmph. Well, now I am able to see where Queen Elsa has gone wrong in her rule. Obviously, she has given the people too much power."

"The people and the monarchy have always worked together in peace. Queen Elsa was a wise and kind-hearted ruler," Elefsen replied firmly. "And what of Princess Anna? We haven't heard a word from her. Princess, do you truly agree to give the throne to. . . to _a stranger?_"

Anna looked up in surprise at being addressed. She seemed to shrink in on herself as she cleared her throat. "I-I do."

With a satisfied smirk, Elise nodded to the minister. "You have your answer."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "Forgive me for being doubtful, but the Princess didn't seem sure of herself. Perhaps we could hear her side of the story?"

Anna had barely stammered out a protest before Elise spoke over her voice. "You have already heard it from me. Your Queen. Now, will I have to charge you with treason? Surely a man of such high standing wouldn't dare go against his Queen?"

"You are not my Queen. You have no right to call yourself the Queen of Arendelle. Please, Princess-"

His words were cut off as ice began to course up his legs. Shrieks reverberated throughout the air as Elefsen watched his body freeze before him in horror.

"Will you recant?" Elise coldly pronounced, watching as the ice slowly worked its way over his face.

Elefsen looked up from where he had been watching the ice race up his arms with fear before using his last breath to reply. "_Never,"_ he declared before the ice washed over his face.

The townspeople backed away from the balcony and the minister's body, eyes wide in fear as they waited for Elise's next move.

"Does anyone else feel like questioning my authority?"

Most people gave bows and curtsies immediately, while some, including Thomas, hesitated before giving a terse one of their own.

"Good. You're all dismissed. I look forward to ruling Arendelle. Come, Anna."

Elise swiftly turned and left, Anna glancing back in horror at the Minister's frozen form.

Without thinking, Thomas ran inside the castle. He wouldn't be stopped by anyone, his uniform marked him as one of the guards.

This can't be true. Queen Elsa, dead? Did. . . did this tyrant kill her? Oh no. Anna.

He made his way through the castle, heart racing and mind reeling. As soon as he turned a corner, he saw Anna talking to the new Queen outside of a guest room.

"This is where I slept, when I lived in my castle. I know you won't mind if I sleep here, right, dear Anna?"

Anna gave a small shake of her head, eyes down.

"Oh, my dear Anna."

Elise lifted up Anna's face with a finger, staring intently into her eyes. "So much like my Annika. Do you mind if I call you Annika?"

"I-I. . . no. . ."

Elise flashed her a triumphant grin. "Good." She pulled away, only to give a large yawn, arms stretching over her head. "My, taking care of royal affairs is such tiring work. I'll be here, resting until suppertime. I'll see you then, dear sister."

After she closed the door behind her, Anna's stiff posture returned to normal. She shuffled down the hallway, one hand resting on her other arm in an attempt to comfort herself.

She rounded the corner, only to find Thomas waiting for her.

"T-Thomas?" she asked breathlessly, almost in disbelief.

She wrapped her arms around him, crying into his jacket. "Oh, Thomas, E-Elsa's. . . and Olaf. . ."

"Shh, shh." He held her protectively in his arms, murmuring into her hair. He would definitely get in trouble if anyone caught him in such an intimate position with the princess. But he didn't care, all that mattered right now was keeping Anna safe and well.

Anna pulled away, only to look up imploringly into his face. "Thomas, you can't stay here. You have to get people out of Arendelle. They're not safe with her."

"I can't leave you here."

"The only thing she wants is me. She. . . she's controlling Kristoff."

"What?! How?"

"The ice in his heart, she can control it. She made him try to. . . to kill me, but Elsa, she stepped in the way. She died, in our arms. And after she died, Olaf melted away! I-I can't, I-"

"Anna." Her hysteria frightened both of them. He held onto her more tightly, as if placing them firmly on the ground, making them unmovable to foreign forces. "I. . . I'm sorry. Queen Elsa was a noble and fair ruler. But she wouldn't want this for you."

"It's my job as Princess. I have to take care of them. Who else will? You saw what she did to Minister Elefsen, what if she starts doing that to anyone else who gets in her way? The only one she won't hurt is me. She. . . she knew when she turned Kristoff on me that Elsa would protect me. That's why she did it."

Anna's voice had trailed off to an expressionless whisper.

"But who'll take care of you?!" Thomas was furious, but he understood what she was trying to say. He just hated the fact that she would be here, alone, with that witch.

She brought a hand up to his face. "I can take care of myself. And plus, Kristoff will be with me."

"He's not coming?"

"He won't go. He knows that Elise can turn him into a weapon in a second. He doesn't want to hurt anyone. He barely let me talk to him before he locked his door on me."

"I'm sorry, Anna."

She shook her head, willing herself to hold it together. What was it she had caught Elsa saying one time? Conceal, don't feel? Although, she had always been the one to tell Elsa to share her feelings.

_"Looks like it's time to take a page out of your book, Elsa. The only way I'll be able to keep the people safe is to keep myself quiet when I'm with Elise. She can't know what I'm up to."_

"I'll be fine, Thomas. Please, go to the other Ministers. With their help, you'll be able to get all of the townspeople out and into the forest. She'll start searching the forest as soon as she realizes you're all gone. You need to get the people living in the forests and the mountains too. Then get out of Arendelle. The closest kingdom to us that'll be willing to help us out is King Erik of the Southern Isles."

"Can we trust him?"

"He's nothing like Hans. Trust me."

Thomas felt his stomach twist into a knot. Getting all of the people out would be hard enough, but getting all of the townspeople and the rest of the people in Arendelle safely across the sea to the Southern Isles seemed an impossible feat.

"What about the castle staff?"

"I'll tell them about the plan as soon as you get the ok from the ministers. The night you guys are supposed to leave, I'll send them out. There'll only be a few here, just the night staff. It's gonna be hard to convince Kai and Gerda to leave. They've been here for so long."

"They've always cared for your family."

This simple comment brought a small smile to Anna's face. "And that's why I have to protect them. What's left of my family."

"Anna, you. . . you're going to live out the rest of your life, here? With her?"

"I'll have Kristoff for company too," she spoke in a feeble attempt at a joke.

"Anna, this is serious! You can't live the rest of your life out here, in some. . . some prison!"

Her eyes took on a distant look as she remembered memories from long ago. "I'll be okay. I've been in prison before."

Thomas closed his eyes in frustration. There had to be a way to get everyone out, including Anna and Kristoff. There just had to.

"Hey."

He opened his eyes to see Anna watching him, a pained look in her eyes along with a forced smile. "I'll be okay. Just. . . keep them safe. It's what Elsa would've done. What Mama and Papa would've done." Her eyes widened as she suddenly thought of something. "Change of plans, once you get to the Southern Isles, I want you to send a letter to Corona. I have family there, and they'll be able to help."

"The King and Queen of Corona?"

"And their daughter. The last time we met was about a couple of months ago. I'll give you a letter to send to them. I'll tell them about everything that's happened here and ask them to send soldiers. I'll give you a letter to give to King Erik asking if he can send some soldiers too."

"Okay. Are you sure they'll be able to handle her?"

"I don't know. But we have to try."

"But you'll be here for a good couple of weeks or so. With no servants around, how are you gonna survive?"

"I can cook some stuff. Plus, the goods will still be in the town."

Thomas grimaced as he pictured Anna, who always messed up recipes, cooking for herself and Kristoff. Honestly, this was the best plan they would be able to come up with. There was no chance of getting the throne back without some outside help. "Don't do anything stupid," he muttered fiercely.

"Promise." Anna brought her pinky up, and Thomas linked it with hers in response.

"I'll go tell Kristoff about the plan," Anna said as she separated herself from Thomas.

"No, I'll do it. I need to ask him something anyway."

Anna regarded him with a skeptical glance, but didn't ask anything else. "Okay. . . I'm gonna go visit Sven then. He needs the company, especially after everything that happened. And. . . I wouldn't mind having him around either."

Thomas nodded as he started to walk away. "You guys be safe. I'll meet you guys later."

"Okay. Thomas?"

He turned around to see Anna wringing her hands as she bit her lip in worry. "Be careful with Kristoff. He's not. . . really there right now. I. . ." Her last words were almost inaudible, caught faintly by Thomas' ear.

"Don't worry. I'll bring him back to us."

"Okay." She watched him leave, instantly missing his presence beside her. With the loss of so many people in such a short amount of time, she felt the need to keep the rest of the people she loved close by. She knew, though, that she would have to let them go in order to keep them safe.

"I'll have to tell Sven about the plan too. He'll go with them. It'll hurt him to be gone from Kristoff, but. . . they'll need all the help they can get."

She closed her eyes and willed herself to keep it together as she felt the tears start to form.

"Come on, Anna. Conceal it. If you cry, they won't leave. You have to let them go."

* * *

"Prince Kristoff."

Thomas rapped on the door, waiting for a response.

He heard shuffling from the other side, and Kristoff's low voice. "Who is it?"

"Thomas. Let me in, please."

"Thomas, I can't. I'm too dangerous. I-I killed her. . ."

"That wasn't you. Don't blame yourself for something you had no control over."

"You don't understand, you weren't there! You didn't watch the one you love die in your arms, because of what you did, whether or not you meant to or not! No one's safe now. She's gone, and it's all because of me!"

The guard flinched as Kristoff's voice grew louder. Images flashed through his mind: Mimmi dying in his arms, his mother watching him with eyes full of hatred as she wasted away in bed, watching Elise kill Anna before him. He shook his head, trying to shake them off before coming closer to the door.

"Kristoff, please. Anna needs you now. She's not the only one missing Queen Elsa. She needs you now, more than ever. And don't forget about Sven."

He heard Kristoff slump against the door. "But what if I hurt them?" he whispered.

"Elise won't make you hurt Anna, and I don't think she knows about Sven."

"She made me attack Anna."

"Because she knew that Queen Elsa would try to protect her. She knew that the Queen would give up her life to save her sister."

A looming pause came over them. Thomas could sense Kristoff's growing anger. "She's going to pay for everything she's done," he spoke in a dark, low tone.

He opened the door, expression stern and determined. "If she uses me again, I want you to do whatever it takes to keep Anna and Sven safe."

"But-"

"Please, Thomas. I need to protect Anna, for Elsa. I. . . she died to save her sister. I won't let her death be for nothing."

After watching him with a skeptical glance as he thought over this, Thomas complied. "Okay. I promise."

"Where's Anna and Sven?"

"In the barn. Anna's got something planned, I'll tell you on the way. Come on."


	11. Chapter Eleven

Anna sat on the floor of Sven's stall, cradling his head in her lap as she smoothed her hands over his head.

"We're going to be okay, Sven. I know it." She felt her throat tighten as she said this, and fought to get the words out.

Sven gave a low, somber noise in response to her statement.

"Anna?"

Both Anna and Sven looked up. "Thomas?" she called out.

Thomas and Kristoff appeared in front of the open stall door, breathless from having run over. "Sven," Kristoff murmured.

The reindeer leaped up and ran into his friend's arms, comforting him in the best way he could by simply being a shoulder to lean on.

"Sven, I'm sorry I wasn't here for you buddy," Kristoff spoke into the reindeer's fur.

A snort from Sven told him that all was forgiven.

Anna stood up and smiled as she watched the two's reunion. "Sven's the strongest of us all. He started to comfort me when I told him about everything that happened."

Kristoff gave a small chuckle. "That's Sven, all right."

"Kristoff." Anna placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

He looked up to see her watching him in concern. This wasn't right; he should be the one taking care of her, his younger sister-in-law. He forced a smile on his face and nodded. "I'll be okay. I'm sorry I yelled at you earlier, I just. . . I thought that keeping myself away would be better for both of us."

"Elsa did the same thing. When we were little, and I sprained my ankle after slipping on her ice, she locked herself in her room for days. It was terrifying. She thought it would keep me safe. But honestly, I just wanted my sister back. I guess that's another similarity between you guys."

Kristoff looked down at his hand, where the gold wedding band rested on his finger. The ring that she had placed ever so delicately, with all the grace of a Queen onto his finger. He clenched his hand and looked back up at Anna. "We're going to get all these people safe. For your parents, and for Elsa."

Anna pulled Kristoff into a tight hug, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you."

"We're family. We have to protect each other."

Anna gave a small nod, closing her eyes as she allowed herself to enjoy this one moment of peace. It pained her when she finally had to pull away.

"Okay, we've gotta go to the town. Minister Folstad is head of the council now, so we'll go to him first."

* * *

"What's happening?"

The group smelled the smoke before the spotted it coming from a building. People were rushing by, some towards the source, and most away from it. A group of people stood on the docks, desperately loading supplies into a boat.

"You're not stealing anything!" a gruff voice could be heard yelling indignantly.

"You don't understand! I need this to keep my family alive! How else will we survive a trip across the sea?!"

"Oh no," Thomas breathed. "We're too late. She's gonna find out about-"

His words were cut off as the air around them turned frigid. Everyone could see their breath in the air, and shivered as they realized who had just arrived.

"Well, well, well. A boating trip? And where might you be going?" Elise asked the group on the docks. She walked past Anna and the the rest of them, frost marking her footsteps.

A fair-haired woman clutched her baby closer to her, while a red-haired man, quite possibly her husband, stepped forward. "We're leaving for a trip, Your Majesty."

"A trip? Where?"

"Vannrike," he stammered out.

"Vannrike? The kingdom far across the sea? My, that's quite a journey. Why so far?"

"W-we have family and friends there, Your Majesty."

"Hmm. I see. This wouldn't have anything to do with my ascension to the throne, would it?" Ignoring the family's guilty faces, Elise turned to look at the flaming building, the smoke continuing to rise higher in the sky. "And what's the story here?"

The store owner came forward, head bowed. "Your Majesty, one of these boat-fellows came and tried to steal some of my goods. He knocked over a lantern and set my store on fire."

"Where is this thief?"

A scrawny young fellow flinched as her gaze passed over him. "Ah, you there," she called to him. "It was you?"

"Y-yes, Your Majesty. I-I was trying t-to buy some things for the trip, b-but his prices were too high. I-I had no choice but to steal."

Elise gave a small tut of disappointment, and soon froze over the burning building. She quickly thawed the ice, revealing a now fire-free store, although a bit charred.

"Thank you, thank you so much, Your Majesty," the store owner said as he backed away, dipping into low bows.

"As for you," she spoke as she addressed the thief. "Go join your family."

"Y-Your Majesty?"

"You heard me. Go."

"Thank you, thank you, Your Majesty!" The young man quickly ran over to join the others, relief on his face.

Kristoff and Thomas watched with narrowed eyes, while Anna stared in terror. Elise had to be planning something. Even though they had only known her for a day, they had deduced that she wasn't one to simply let people go for certain acts.

"Vannrike," Elise drawled out. "The so-called 'water kingdom', found on the edge of the sea. Much like Arendelle. I wonder why you would all want to leave our wonderful home, for a place so far away."

"We've already told you, Your Majesty," the woman with the baby spoke in a quavering voice.

"Oh, but see, for some reason, I don't believe you." With a quick smirk, Elise through her hands out in front of her, ice racing across the ground, along the docks until it reached the family, covering their bodies in an instant.

Anna clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her cries of shock and horror. Kristoff looked away, eyes clenched tightly, while Thomas glared at Elise, unafraid of being caught staring at her.

"Let that be a lesson to you all. Should you try to leave, without my permission, you shall suffer the same fate as these people." She suddenly brought her foot down onto the pavement, freezing the ground over with a layer of black ice, which quickly spread to the sea.

"No," Anna gasped out. Their only form of escape. The trek through the forest would be too arduous for Arendelle's inhabitants, and seeing as the kingdom on the other side of it was Weselton, there was very little chance that they would receive help there after the Duke had been rebuffed multiple times by Elsa regarding trade.

The sea was soon covered with Elise's dark ice, covering it for miles. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply. A strong wind suddenly appeared, storm clouds forming in the sky bringing prospects of snow with them. "This storm should also serve as a reminder. Once I'm convinced that all of you are loyal to me, I will stop the storm. Until then, I suggest you all bundle up." With a final smirk, she turned to head back to the castle.

She stopped by Anna, obviously surprised to see her there. "Annika, what are you doing with these two men and. . . a reindeer?" She wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"They're my friends," Anna quietly spoke, although with a bit more confidence than the last time she had spoken to her.

Elise contemplated this for a moment, then shrugged. "Alright then. I'll see you at supper. I can't believe I was disturbed from my nap by the smell of smoke." She shook her head as if she still found it hard to believe, and walked back into the castle.

The people still milling about started to make their way home. A young woman, a bit older than Anna, shyly walked over to the group, carrying a toddler on her arm. A small girl followed her, one hand clinging tightly to her mother's apron.

"Princess Anna, I. . . I'm sorry about your parents and Queen Elsa. This new queen is. . . very different from what we're used to." She chose her words carefully, as if fearful that Anna would repeat these words to Elise and have her imprisoned, or worse, frozen to death.

"I know. She's a tyrant. She. . . she killed my parents and Elsa." Although Anna had told the story numerous times and had been reminded of it over and over, her heart still hadn't gotten used to the pain.

The woman drew back in terror. "S-she did? For the throne? Princess Anna, how did she manage to take the throne from you?"

"She's too powerful. If I do anything, she'll probably hurt someone else. I can't let anyone else get hurt. I had a plan to get everyone out safely, but now that she's frozen over the ocean. . ." Anna tucked her hair behind her ear absentmindedly.

Surprisingly, the woman gave her a timid smile. "You're just like your parents, and your sister. Always thinking of us. Princess, please remember, that the people of Arendelle are always behind your decisions. We trust you."

Anna was so shocked, she almost forgot to thank her.

The woman merely shook her head, and gave a small curtsy. "Princess, don't forget to keep yourself safe too. Arendelle would be even more heartbroken if they lost their radiant princess." With a parting nod to all of them, even Sven, the young lady walked away, pulling on her daughter's hand when she showed reluctance at leaving them.

"That was. . . unexpected," Anna murmured in wonder.

"The people love you. They care about you," Kristoff stated.

This only sparked Anna's confidence to grow even more. "Come on, we need to go to Minister Folstad."

"But the plan won't work, there's no way out," Thomas protested.

"I'm gonna tell him what happened. All of it. Maybe he'll be able to help us. Even if he can't, at least there'll be one more person who knows the truth."

Sharing such a thing with only a few people knowing the whole truth was starting to wear on her. The prospects of having one of the wise ministers in on it sent a wave of relief over her.

"We better hurry, the storm's picking up. Elise'll stop it soon, everyone's already terrified of her."

"Anna."

She stopped walking and turned to see Thomas watching her, a worried look on his face as the wind whipped his coat about him. "I don't think she will."

"What? You heard what she said, she'll undo it when she's convinced that everyone's loyal to her."

"Honestly, she doesn't seem like the kind of person who'll be convinced that easily."

"What are you saying?" Anna felt her stomach clench as the gears started to turn in her head.

"If I'm right, Arendelle's going to be stuck in an eternal winter."


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Hello there!**

**taylorjago: Thank you! I'm glad to hear you didn't get attacked by the mob. As for jade254, I wish that they didn't have to receive mean reviews. :(**

**Asteroth1: Haha, thanks! :p Yeah, keeping up a mob probably drains you of supplies and money. Oh, and most definitely food. :p**

* * *

Minister Folstad took a sip from his cup before setting it down, saucer and all, back onto the table. "This is a very grave matter indeed," he spoke hollowly. "Thank you, Princess Anna, for entrusting me with this information."

"I didn't know who to turn to. I'm glad for your help, Minister," Anna replied. Every ounce of her being focused on being poised and alert, everything that a princess should be.

Folstad raised an eyebrow at her response. He was used to seeing Anna running around, playing with children and laughing, not dealing with serious matters such as this. _"I suppose that's what grief will do to a person,"_ he sadly thought to himself.

"Princess Anna, I shall go to the other ministers and share his information with them, unless you'd like otherwise."

"No, no, please. The more people that know, the better."

The minister gave her a somber smile before turning to Kristoff. "And you, Prince Kristoff? Do you have any objection?"

Kristoff looked up from where he had been stirring sugar into his tea only to give him something to do, his large hand looking out of place next to the minister's dainty china cups. "Oh, I, um, no. Of course not. I agree with Anna."

Anna fought the urge to slap a hand to her face. Although she had little experience dealing with royal duties, Kristoff was even less experienced. She was relieved when he asked Thomas to keep an eye on Sven in Folstad's barn as they entered the house. Kristoff had asked if Sven could be allowed indoors at others' houses and stores, much to the surprise of most of the people.

"That's settled then. But, Princess Anna, now that Queen Elise has wrapped Arendelle in winter and frozen over the sea, what will the new plan be?"

Both Anna and Kristoff detected the slight curling of the man's lip as he said Elise's name, as if it were the lowest of swear words.

"Actually, we don't know yet," Anna honestly answered. "One of the men in my guard thinks that she won't lift the winter, and I'm starting to agree with him."

Folstad gave a small noise of affirmation, as he had already come to that conclusion. "Is there no way to stop her? To dispel her magic?"

"I don't know. With Elsa, love was the key. I don't know how things work with Elise. I'm still sorta weirded out by her story." Anna felt a shiver run down her back as she remembered the girl's strange tale.

"I agree. Alternate worlds? It's very hard to believe that there could be other versions of us, walking around somewhere. But then again, we all thought that Queen Elsa's powers were out of the ordinary also. Perhaps she could be telling the truth. Although I would still be wary of what she tells you."

Anna nodded in agreement. "Minister, please be careful. Elise seems like she's going to run the kingdom by herself, without outside help. You and the other ministers need to watch out for her."

"You're right, Princess." Folstad sighed, the sound full of weariness. "Somehow, we need to find a way to stop this woman. It's only a matter of time before she comes for the rest of the ministers." He glanced at Anna's empty cup, resting on the table. "Would you like some more tea?"

"Oh, no thank you." Anna stood up, smoothing her skirts down. "We should be heading back soon, actually. It sounds like the storm's picking up."

"Of course." The councilman also stood up, prompting Kristoff to clumsily place his cup onto the table and do the same.

"I'll try to find out more about this weird magic. My father has some books on magic in his. . . study." Images regarding what had previously happened in the study flashed through her mind. Was Elsa's body still in there, or had Elise had her moved? She shook her head, dispelling the scenes before she bobbed into a quick curtsy. "Thank you for the tea, Minister. I'll come back with whatever news I can find."

Folstad gave a bow of his own, straightening back up into his full height. "I shall inform you of whatever news the other ministers and I can find. It is always a pleasure to have you here, Princess." Turning to Kristoff, he also gave him a small bow. "And you too, Prince Kristoff."

Kristoff turned bright red before awkwardly bowing back, and following Anna out the door.

"You did great, Kristoff," Anna whispered to him as they walked down the hall, nodding to servants as they passed by.

"You're such a liar," Kristoff muttered under his breath.

Anna felt a corner of her mouth lift up slightly. It was the closest she felt to feeling like normal in days. Well, as normal as she could feel now, given the circumstances.

They met Thomas and Sven at the barn, watching the snow flurries fall at an even faster rate than before.

"We better hurry back," Thomas told them. "Anna, take my coat."

"No, I'm okay." Anna crossed her arms over each other, rubbing some warmth into them. "We only have to get down the hill before we're back in town. I'll be fine."

"Anna, your dress can't be keeping you warm right now. It was made for summer weather."

"I'll be okay. Seriously."

Thomas shot her a doubtful glance before she walked past him, already heading back.

Kristoff joined him, Sven tagging along. "She's stubborn. Runs in the family."

Thomas turned to look at the man beside him. "Prince Kristoff, I. . . I'm sorry about everything that's happened," he murmured lamely.

Kristoff continued to watch Anna's huddled form walk away from them, her braids being tossed around by the wind. "I am too."

Thomas was about to mention something about catching up to Anna when Kristoff spoke up. "Thanks for taking care of Anna. I'm glad there's someone else I can trust to keep her safe."

"I-it's nothing. It's my job."

"Really?" Kristoff flashed him a knowing look, a faint smile on his lips. "I see the way you look at her." He clapped a hand briefly on Thomas's shoulder. "Thanks, for everything. For being there for her, for taking care of all of us. Elsa approved of you. You were the person she trusted the most outside of her family to keep her sister safe."

Thomas was dumbstruck. "She. . . she did?"

"Yep." He gave a long exhale, shuffling his feet in the gathering snow before shoving his hands in his pockets and looking to Sven. "Come on, buddy, let's go home."

Kristoff left Thomas standing there, Sven still by his side. He hadn't expected to hear that. "And by the way, call me Kristoff. We're friends, right?" he called over his shoulder.

"Y-yeah. Okay," Thomas stammered out.

Sven bumped his shoulder affectionately before running after Kristoff.

Okay, now he definitely hadn't expected that.

Thomas looked up, watching the snowflakes as the continued to fall from the clouds overhead, never slowing.

"I'll do my best to take care of them. All of them, Queen Elsa," he whispered into the air.

* * *

Anna picked at her food, sliding the vegetables around on her plate.

The dining room was silent except for the sound of forks against plates.

Elise sat at the head of the table, eating calmly as if things had always been this way. Anna sat to the left of her, aware of Kristoff's loud breathing on her other side.

"So. What's your favorite food?"

Anna looked up to see Elise staring at her, head resting on one hand.

"Oh. Um, chocolate."

"Chocolate?" Elise gave a snort. "Annika was allergic to chocolate. Got a horrible rash whenever she ate it."

"I. . . I'm sorry to hear that."

Elise placed her hand on top of Anna's, causing the other girl to flinch at the foreign touch. Her hand was cold like Elsa's, and yet completely different at the same time.

"Anna, we're sisters now. There's no need to be shy around me." She gave Anna a dazzling smile.

"O-okay."

"Can I still call you Annika? You can call me Elise, of course."

"I, um, sure." Anna struggled to keep the fear out of her voice.

Elise's grin grew even wider. "Good."

She sat back in her seat, watching Anna as she ate. She had ignored Kristoff while they were eating, much to his relief.

"Annika's favorite color was pink. What about you?"

"Yellow."

"Hmm. Favorite animal?"

"Reindeer."

Elise made a face. "Reindeer are disgusting, smelly creatures. I can't stand the smell." Here she cast a pointed glance at Kristoff before looking back at Anna. "I should just release the castle's reindeer into the wild. Or, I could ask the chef to make something tasty from it. I've heard they're quite delicious."

Both Kristoff and Anna stared at her, open-mouthed in horror.

"What? What is it?" Elise picked up her fork again and continued to eat her food.

Anna was the first to pull herself together. "The reindeer here are special to the royal family. Reindeer are some of the most loyal animals. We would never eat them."

"Hmm. They're not very interesting though, are they?"

Kristoff was about to protest when Anna placed a hand on his arm, shooting him a desperate look to please, please be quiet so she won't get angry.

The meal continued on, a heavy silence hanging in the air until Anna cleared her throat.

"Um, Elise?"

"Yes?"

"About the storm, and the ocean. . ."

"What about it?"

"Well, I was wondering if you, if you could um, return things to normal? Please?"

Anna's eyes stared imploringly into Elise's hoping that her resemblance to this woman's sister would help her out.

Elise coughed and turned her attention back to her food. "The people need to know that I am not to be trifled with. I don't know what Elsa was doing, but she obviously didn't know what she was doing."

Kristoff's fists clenched underneath the table while Anna bit her lip to keep the spiteful words at bay.

"Elsa was the best ruler Arendelle's had in years. She loved the people, and the people loved her." Anna said this without a quiver in her voice, looking Elise right in the eye.

The fork fell from Elise's hand, clattering onto the table. Kristoff looked up tentatively, watching as a muscle in Anna's jaw clenched.

"Is that so?" Elise spoke in a tense whisper. She reached for her wineglass, taking a small sip.

"Yes. My father and mother taught her well. She was wise, and kind. She knew how to keep the people safe and happy. She spent every second of her life caring for others."

Elise's hand curled tightly around the stem of her wineglass. She placed it back down on the table, pursing her lips as if she had just tasted something sour.

"Well. Well then." She pushed back her chair, the sound extremely loud in the otherwise silent room, and stood up, smoothing down her skirts. "I guess that is one more difference between us, dear sister. Excuse me."

She briskly walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind her.

As soon as she was gone, Kristoff slumped down in his seat, dragging his hands down his face. "That was hell."

Anna rested her elbows on the table, placing her head in her hands. "I just made things worse, didn't I?"

"I don't know. I didn't think she could get mad at you, she's always watching you like a girl who's just got a new shiny toy," Kristoff mumbled.

"I just couldn't listen to her insult Elsa like that! And that thing about eating Sven and the other reindeer! She's crazy! How can she think that I'd be the exact same as her sister?" With a sigh of frustration, Anna followed Kristoff's example and slumped back in her own seat.

Kai came into the room, walking over to Anna's side. "Are you done with your meal, Princess?"

"I think so. I don't think Elise is coming back."

At the sound of the girl's name, Kai's mouth wrenched itself into a grimace. "She's absolutely mad. How can she expect to rule a kingdom in this way?"

"Right?!" Anna exclaimed, thankful that the servant understood. "Kai, I'm sorry you have to stay here and live under her authority. I. . . I'd understand if you and Gerda and the other servants felt like leaving."

"Leaving? Princess, most of us have been serving your family for years. We will spend the rest of our lives serving your family."

"But-"

"We're not here for her. We're here for you, and Prince Kristoff."

"Kai. . ."

Kai gave her a sad smile. "We will stay here, to serve the rest of the royal family. Our alliances are with you. They always have been, and they always will be."

Anna's vision started to become clouded over with tears. She jumped up out of her seat and embraced the servant in a tight hug. "Thank you, Kai. That means a lot."

His mouth fell open in surprise before working itself into a smile. He gave her a tentative hug back, always mindful of propriety.

Kristoff watched the two with a newfound respect for the man. He had always liked the jolly, kind servant, but this sworn allegiance to the royal family even in the face of possible danger made him even more likable in Kristoff's eye.

Anna pulled away, wiping a tear from her eye. "Whoops." She gave an awkward laugh as she realized that she had been crying.

Kai offered her his arm. "Shall I escort you to your room, Princess?"

With a genuine smile, Anna took it gratefully. "I'd be glad to." She glanced at Kristoff, who still sat in his seat. "You too, come on."

In a gentlemanly fashion, she offered her his arm. Kai was about to protest, probably to state that a princess did no such thing, but shut his mouth with a grin. Princess Anna may be eccentric, and a bit energetic, but she always acted with the best of intentions.

With a quiet chuckle, almost like the ones he had given in times past, Kristoff stood up and took her arm in his.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

"Thomas, what's gonna happen to everyone?"

Mimmi looked at him worriedly over her bowl of soup. Even their mother looked concerned.

Thomas sighed and put his spoon down. "Honestly, I don't know. Anna thinks we'll be able to find something about how to stop her magic in some old books, but for now, it looks like we'll be stuck in this winter."

"What does this new Queen want?" his mother spoke in a throaty whisper.

"She was talking about how she lost her own sister and came here to get Anna as a replacement," he replied darkly.

Mimmi's brows furrowed together in confusion. "But it's not the same. They're not the same person."

"I know. But she obviously doesn't. Seems like she's been planning this for a long time. She's been waiting for this for so long that she's lost all sense of reason."

"What about Anna? Is she okay?" Mimmi asked, voice full of concern.

"Yeah. Elise would never hurt her."

"I know that, but I meant mentally. Going through all of that stuff. . . she's probably having a hard time right now."

Thomas felt his heart sink in his chest as Mimmi's words echoed in his mind. "I know," he whispered. "She tries to put on a brave face for everyone, but. . . I'm worried about her."

Mimmi placed her warm hand on top of his, holding onto it tightly. "Me too. We're gonna take care of her, Thomas. She's like family now. She's like the sister I always wanted."

A ghost of a smile appeared on Thomas's lips, but it soon vanished and was replaced with a low, mournful exhale. "But nothing will ever help her get over the loss of her sister."

* * *

Elise sat on one of the couches in the portrait gallery, desperately searching the portraits for some semblance of Annika in Anna's beaming face.

"Annika, she still loves her sister. Even though I'm also her sister, she still loves the other one more. I don't understand it. I thought that you'd be the same here. That we could have a chance to start over. . . to change what happened."

She had ran there after Anna's startling words at supper, and examined each and every aspect of the portraits with Anna in them for hours. It was almost midnight as she sighed and leaned forward, elbows on her knees and chin resting in her palms.

Her gaze fell on a series of portraits of the royal family taken about a few months ago. There was one of Idun sitting in a chair, poised and calm, with Agdar standing behind her with a hand on her shoulder and a twinkle in his eye. In the one next to that, Kristoff and Elsa stood together, Kristoff's hands clasped behind his back and looking extremely uncomfortable in his clothes while Elsa looked as regal as ever, a corner of her mouth turned up slightly in an expression of amusement and her tiara gleaming in her hair. In another, Elsa sat next to Anna on a sofa, Anna's brilliant grin contrasting with Elsa's polite smile.

In the last and largest portrait, the whole family stood together, along with Olaf, Sven, and the royal family of Corona. In the back, Agdar and Idun stood arm in arm next to the benevolent King Frederick and Queen Klara of Corona. The children stood in front of the older adults. Elsa had been placed in between Kristoff and Anna, a shy expression on the blond man's face while the two girls grinned. Princess Rapunzel had one arm linked with Anna's and the other with her husband's, Prince Eugene, a chameleon perched on her shoulder as her grin full of sunshine lit up the portrait. He wore a smile of awe as he looked in his wife's direction, only the left side of his face visible. Finally, Sven was situated on Prince Eugene's other side, tongue hanging out of his mouth as Olaf stood on his back, waving to the viewer.

Elise stared at the royal family of Corona, thinking through old memories. She had seen the King and Queen once, seeing as they were her uncle and aunt. She recognized her father's green eyes in the Queen of Corona's, but that's where the similarities ended. It seemed that Corona's warmer climate had added quite a bit of color to her pale skin, and her hair was a rich, chestnut hue in contrast to her father's light-auburn hair. However, she had never seen the young Princess and Prince. A long lost memory drifted to the front of her mind, a story of her aunt and uncle's only daughter being taken in the night. She had never been found.

"It seems like everyone gets a happy ending here," she grumbled.

She slowly got up, one hand gliding along the wall as she headed back towards the doors. One caught her eye as she passed by.

"Joan?" she whispered in shock.

Joan of Arc stood in her portrait, fierce and beautiful as ever.

Elise came closer and gingerly touched her fingers to the canvas, breathing in quick, short breaths.

"Joan. Of course. How could I forget?"

She was unbearably tired, and wanted nothing more than to go to bed and sleep away the pain of Anna's words, but the memories connected to the painting held her there.

* * *

"Lise! Lise! Look, that one's m'favorite!" Annika squealed as she skipped over to Joan.

"Joan of Arc? She's okay." Elise wasn't very impressed. She preferred the paintings of landscapes, whether they be of the wild, roiling sea or the calm, green fields.

"What? You don' like her?" Annika's grin fell into a pout.

"She's okay," Elise repeated. "But she didn't live for long."

"Really? Why? Wha' happened, Lise?"

"I'll tell you later." Elise knew that if she told Annika the tragic story of Joan of Arc, the girl would have nightmares for days. Best to tell her when she got older, or whenever her tutor deemed it fit for her to learn.

"Mmkay." Annika turned her attention back to the painting and patted it confidentially, as if patting a friend on the shoulder.

"Anni! Don't touch it!" Elise pulled her back, eyes wide as she thought of what Papa would say. Strict, yet loving Papa who was always a stickler for keeping the paintings neat and orderly. Recently, he had been busy going over some paperwork concerning an outbreak of sickness in another kingdom, and had less time to be with them. The Queen spent every minute she could with them, telling them that Papa would have more time to be with them once he and the council had decided how bet to send aid. Elise believed her, but still missed her father.

"Oh yeah, Papa." Annika's smile faltered before rising once again. "But 't's okay, I can still talk to her! Hi, Joan!"

"Why do you like Joan so much, Nika?"

Annika stuck her tongue out at her older sister for using the nickname she despised. She didn't mind Anni, Ann, one of her middle names, or even her full name, Annika Sofia Liliane. Nika, however, was where she drew the line.

"'Cause she doesn't call me Nika, Lisa."

Elise's eyes narrowed in response to the long-hated nickname. "You're gonna regret that, Anni."

With no warning, Elise leaped on top of Anna, tickling the younger girl's sides as they fell to the floor.

"Ellie! Lise! Stop! Okay, okay!" Annika gasped out between fits of giggles.

"What? Can't hear you!" Elise called out in a sing-song voice as she continued to tickle her sister mercilessly.

"Elise Marte Irene! I promise, I promise to never call you Lisa again! I promise!"

With a final shriek of laughter, Annika was free from Elise's fingers of torture.

Elise regarded Annika with a bemused and puzzled expression before breaking into a grin. "Okay. I won't call you Nika. Promise."

"Pinkies!"

Annika held out her tiny pinkie, and Elise promptly wrapped her own around it, both of them shaking them as if it were a handshake in agreement.

"Oh, and Elise Marte Irene? That's not my name, Anni. I think you just mixed up my name with Mama's and Grandmama's."

"What? You liar! I know your name!" Annika crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly.

"No, you don't."

"Oh yeah? T-then what is it?!" Annika sputtered out in frustration.

"Elise Marianne Isolde. You didn't even get close to that."

"Well. . . you dunno my full name! So there!" Annika stamped her foot on the ground triumphantly.

"Annika Sofia Liliane Christiansen."

Elise watched, an amused smirk on her face, as Annika's face grew bright red with anger.

"Y-you cheated!"

"Anni, how can I cheat?"

"You. . . you wrote it on your hand! Show me!"

Elise rolled her eyes, but held her hands out anyway. "I didn't even look at my hands, Anni."

Annika grasped Elise's hands in her own, searching them for any signs of ink. A scowl formed on her face and she threw the hands away from her indignantly before stomping off.

"Annika!" Elise ran after her, soon passing her and standing in her way. "Why are you so mad at me?"

"You made fun of me, and now I'm mad that you're smarter than me! I'm never gonna be as smart as you!"

Elise's face grew serious as she processed the words in her mind. "Anni, I'm really sorry. I was jus' trying to be funny. And you're smart too."

Annika gave a snort of disbelief.

"Really! You're smart too. You're really good at math, like me! And you like learning 'bout other places. You're really smart, Anni."

A hesitant smile fell on Annika's lips as she looked at her sister. "Really, Ellie? Ya think so?"

"I know so."

With a suddenly teary smile, Annika rushed forward and pulled her sister into a tight hug.

"Annika. Can't. Breathe."

"Oops! Sorry!" She quickly pulled away, looking quite embarrassed.

Elise took Annika's tiny hand in hers and pulled them back to the painting of Joan of Arc.

"We should make middle names for her too," she spoke plainly, as if it had been obvious all along.

"Ooh, okay, how about. . . Ingrid! Ingrid's a pretty name! Or Margrete!" Annika was nearly bouncing up and down in her excitement.

"I like Margrete. We should pick a French name too, since she's French."

"Right! Hmm. . ." Annika's little brows furrowed themselves together as she thought deeply.

After a few seconds, she gave a groan. "I dunno any French names, Lise!"

"How about Victoire? Tutor Erik told me it means victory."

"Joan Margrete Victoire! Yay! Do you like your name, Joan?"

"Anni-" Elise interrupted, about to remind her sister that talking to portraits was a waste of time, when Annika squealed and clapped her hands.

"She likes it! Yay! Come on, Ellie, let's go see if we can get snacks!"

With a giggle, Elise ran off, pulling Annika behind her as they headed to the kitchens.

* * *

Present-day Elise gave a small scoff as she pulled her hand away. "I never thought I'd be talking to paintings. That was always something Annika did."

As she left the room, closing the doors quietly behind her, she meandered down the hallway aimlessly, unsure of what to do now.

"How do I get closer to Anna, for her to see me as her sister? Of course, it would be easy if there were a simple guidebook detailing everything about her life."

Elise stopped in her tracks, eyes wide as an idea came to her. "If the old Queen here is the same as Mama, she'll have kept journals about Anna during her childhood. They must be up in the attic."

Gathering up her skirt and running down the hall, she headed up the stairs, panting and wheezing until she reached the attic door.

Cautiously turning the knob, Elise peeked her head into the room. What she saw surprised her.

This version of her mother seemed to have saved everything from her daughters' childhoods. Everything from old cribs to first books read and old clothing were up there. An old, worn desk in the back contained a few stacks of books.

Elise walked over, hands trembling slightly as she picked up a diary with a faded cover. She flipped through it, finding that it seemed to contain facts about Anna at 12 years of age.

Quickly reading over a few facts and stories, Elise looked back at the desk and noticed the other books from the pile she had touched, most possibly containing other stories about Anna's life.

Without thinking, Elise placed the book back on top of the pile and then picked up the pile as a whole, rushing back to her room with a determined smirk on her face. She would get Anna to like her, to see her as her sister.

She had to. She couldn't be alone anymore.

* * *

**Since I did the name meaning thing for Elsa's name a few chapters back, i thought I'd do it here for Elise and Annika. **

**• Elise Marianne Isolde**

** - Elise: gift of God (similar to the meaning of Elsa)**

** - Marianne: bitter grace ('cause you know she's all about that bitterness)**

** - Isolde: fair/beautiful**

**• Annika Sofia Liliane**

** - Annika: full of grace (also similar to the meaning of Anna)**

** - Sofia: skilled/wise**

**- Liliane: beautiful**

**Oh yeah, and I believe that if the royal family of Corona was related to that of Arendelle, it would be through Agdar and the Queen of Corona. They just look more similar to me than Idun and the Queen. But if you believe in the other idea, I have no objections to that! Enjoy your headcanons. :D**


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Haha, I just realized that I misread my own schedule and updated this story a day early for the previous chapters. Oh well.**

**Asteroth1: Haha, good, I'm glad you're enjoying her character! As for Anna, she's still in shock and she's a bit scared of getting Elise mad since she's been freezing whoever she wants, so that's why I haven't had her yell at her. Yet. I like your ending prediction! :D However, you'll have to wait and see what happens. :p **

* * *

Her own snoring woke her up.

Elise sat up, startled to find that she had fallen asleep in a sea of journals. Evidently, she had fallen asleep while reading about Anna's first word: "Eh-sa".

Rubbing her eyes and stretching her back, she gave a long, satisfied yawn. "What time is it?" she murmured to no one in particular.

Judging by the amount of sunlight streaming through the lone window to her right, it must be close to midday.

"And no one came to wake me up?" The thought had never crossed her mind that the servants were absolutely terrified of her plus angry at her for murdering their Queen and her parents.

Her own servants back in her own kingdom had been compliant but silent, always entering the room with a small bob and muttered words before fleeing. This behavior had started to bore her after a while; she just wanted someone, anyone to talk to. And that's when she started searching through her father's library looking for ways to bring back the dead.

"I'll bring her back, no matter what it takes," she had hissed under her breath as her trembling hands turned page after page.

Now she had what she wanted, what she had dreamed of for so long.

"But now that I have Annika back, she won't even look at me. She's terrified of me. So I have to warm up to her. Hah." She barked out a coarse laugh at her small joke before swinging her legs to the side and letting her feet touch the ground.

"I'll be the best sister ever. She _will_ love me, like she loved her own sister. Anna, Annika, what difference is a name? They're both the same. I get to see what my Annika would have grown up to be. . . I'll do whatever it takes for my sister to love me."

* * *

"Honestly, how can no one have written a book about ice magic?!"

Anna plunked herself down onto a high-backed chair, the book in her hand dropping to the floor.

"We still have a lot of books to go through." Kristoff didn't look up from where he was reading, not missing a single word. He was determined to find a way to bring them back. He knew there had to be a way.

"I know. I just. . . I just wish someone had written a book about it. We wouldn't be alone."

"We're not." Thomas' voice wafted over to her, strong and comforting. He sat on the floor, having laid his book down in order to look up at Anna. "We've got us three, and the rest of Arendelle."

"Yeah, but. . . how are we gonna stop her when we don't know anything about her powers? We barely knew anything about Elsa's, and she didn't have some crazy necklace!"

Thomas quickly went over to her, kneeling on the floor by her chair as she buried her face in her hands. Even Kristoff looked up from his book in concern.

Both men exchanged a worried glance as Anna's shoulders started to shake, crying silently.

"Anna." Kristoff got up and walked over to the others, unsure of how to comfort her. "It. . . we're gonna be okay."

"How?!" Anna lifted her head, the usual light and joy in her eyes changed to a fierce anger as she glared at Kristoff, tears threatening to run down her face. "How can you know?! Because everything's just getting worse! I've _tried_, I've tried so hard to keep hoping that things'll get better, but I can't take it anymore! Mama and Papa are gone, Olaf's gone! Elsa's _gone_, Kristoff! How can things get better?! _Tell me!_"

Anna's chest heaved as she took in ragged breaths, gaze locked on Kristoff's as she waited for him to speak. A pang of guilt hit her as she took in his wounded expression. He didn't deserve to listen to her yelling about the loss of his wife. They'd been married for such a short time, not even a full day before things got much, much worse.

She opened her mouth in an attempt to say something, anything, to take back the poisonous words when Kristoff cut her to the chase.

"What would Elsa say?"

Anna blinked in confusion at the random question. "W-what?"

"What would Elsa say if she were here right now? Right here, with us?" His voice had softened so that it was merely a low murmur, like a welcoming lullaby.

Closing her eyes, Anna took in a deep breath to steady herself. An image of Elsa, calm and always knowing what to do and what to say at the right time appeared in her mind.

She could almost feel Elsa wipe away the few tears that had escaped with her cool hand, kind eyes watching her with that understanding smile she always wore. "_Anna, you can't give up. Mama, Papa, Olaf and I believe in you. We love you. Where's the fighter, the girl I know who never gives up? She's still inside of you. You just need to look for her. I believe in you, Anna. I love you._"

Anna's eyes flashed open. "She'd tell me not to give up hope," she whispered.

Kristoff gave a small nod. "So that's what we have to do," he replied solemnly.

"Okay."

That small confirmation sealed their promise. "Take a break," Kristoff suggested.

"What? I can't, I need to keep looking. How are we gonna-"

"Thomas. Take her out somewhere, anywhere for a while. I'll be here, I 'll take a break later, but right now you guys need it more than me."

The guard stood up slowly, regarding him warily. "But Kristoff, you-"

"I'll be okay. Just go. Please."

Anna hesitated, not wanting to leave Kristoff here alone, yet desperately needing to leave this room. With a small nod, she stood up and walked over to him, only to pull him into a tight embrace. "Thank you, Kristoff."

"It's nothing," he spoke in a gruff mumble, patting her shoulder before pulling back. "Just get some fresh air. I'll be here, okay?"

"Okay."

With a last backward glance, Anna left the study, following Thomas out of the castle.

Kristoff sat down in Anna's chair and ran a hand over his face.

"There has to be a way to bring them back. There has to."

* * *

**May 17th, 18-**

Anna still trips over her own feet, my clumsy little girl. Elsa leads her around carefully, making sure that her sister doesn't gain any new scrapes or bruises. I never cease to feel extremely blessed when I see the two of them, my healthy, happy girls, playing together.

Last night, Agdar proposed a trip to Corona. It's almost time for the annual lantern festival, and I'm sure that Frederick and Klara would love having family around to help ease the pain of losing their beautiful girl three years ago.

I see it in their eyes whenever they talk to Elsa. They miss their daughter everyday, with every fibre of their being. They always try to hide their sorrow, as if they feel they should keep their grief to themselves. Even if they won't accept our help at times, I'm truly grateful that they have each other to shoulder the hurt. Hopefully, the girls will help keep their mind off of things.

It will be Anna's first trip to Corona, and her first time meeting her aunt and uncle. Someday we'll have to tell her about her cousin. Klara told Elsa the story on our last trip to Corona, the last time that she went to the lantern festival. Since Anna was only a few years old at the time, I stayed here with her while Elsa left with Agdar. We certainly weren't prepared for her to learn about her cousin at such a young age. Agdar and I were sure that she would have nightmares of being taken in the night.

Our little daughter is more mature than we thought. When they came back home, she told me solemnly about her cousin, as if she were breaking the news to me. Agdar said that she spent most of her time with Klara and Frederick, trying to keep them company. She even snuck into a meeting and sat in a chair near Frederick, much to the amusement of the other dignitaries.

We still haven't told anyone outside of the castle staff and family about Elsa's hidden talent. We're not sure how everyone else would take it. Our biggest fear is that someone will try to take advantage of our little girl, or brand her as a menace. Ever since we discovered what she could do, we've been trying to teach her how to control it. Despite knowing very little about magic, Elsa is gaining more and more control. She doesn't send out accidental bursts of snow every time that she sneezes now, and can even fashion little playthings.

Once she gains full of control of her powers, we'll make her talents known. We can't take the risk of having others call her a witch unless we can show them that the snow and ice works only at her will. I only hope that we can reveal our secret soon, I know that Elsa wants to share her gifts with everyone.

Anna loves her older sister's magic, and always asks for more. Very often, Agdar and I have found the girls playing with the snow in their room instead of sleeping like they should be. I blame Agdar's rambunctious personality for their continuing to do it. As soon as we walk in on them, they give us small, sheepish grins until Agdar tries to act as the "firm, stern parent", but fails as soon as he sees what they were playing. I never would have thought that I would be living with three children.

Elsa is now trying to find out how to remove her ice and snow. The couple of times where she has succeeded have all been after playing with Anna. We are unsure of why she can only do it at some times, and not at others, but she's still making progress.

**June 5th, 18-**

Anna has been sick in bed with a cold. She overheard us mentioning to Gerda that one of us might have to stay with her while the other goes with Elsa to Corona. Who knew that such a small girl could be so furious?

She's been staying in bed diligently ever since then, and always tells me that she feels "much, much better". Elsa keeps her company though, and the two play with their dolls or read stories together.

We'll wait another week and see.

**June 14th, 18-**

Anna has recovered, very quickly, according to Doctor Thomsson. He told us that he had never seen a girl with such energy before in his years of medicine. Our girl is full of surprises.

Elsa, of course, is relieved that she won't have to leave her sister behind. She's eager to introduce her to Frederick and Klara. Agdar and I told her not to tell Anna about their cousin yet, the story might be too much for a small three-year old to handle, and there is very little doubt that she would fully understand. She was confused, but agreed to wait a few years to tell Anna.

It will take us about a week to get to Corona. We leave in a few days. The girls have been running about the castle, giggling and talking about the sun kingdom and the "land of lanterns". If only they were as excited about bathing.

Elise closed the journal, having finished the first one. So far, she had learned more about Anna's eating preferences as an toddler and Elsa's lessons.

"Maybe I should try something more recent."

Searching through the books, she finally found the last journal Idun had kept. It contained events from when Anna was twelve.

**August 20th, 18-**

Anna was found on the roof, again. Elsa ran inside looking for us. She was worried that Anna would fall, like she did before. Goodness knows we need another broken arm.

After a mild scolding, Anna came down from the roof, claiming that she only wanted a "more amazing" view of the sea. That girl will be the death of me.

Elsa is still a bit fearful of using her magic ever since Anna slipped on her ice five years ago. The girl who took so much pride in her skills has turned into one scared of using them. This is what Agdar and I had hoped wouldn't happen.

**September 7th, 18-**

Anna and Elsa were caught sneaking chocolate up to their room. _Again. _Agdar and I have thought of cutting off their access to chocolate many times. However, after the first time, we've decided that it would be best not to. The girls were in a stupor like we had never seen before. It was quite amusing to see my energetic Anna subdued to being in an almost trance-like state, but it isn't good for their health. We've made an agreement with them: they are allowed only one serving of chocolate per day, perhaps some exceptions for holidays, otherwise we will be forced to take chocolate away for a while.

Anna is struggling with lessons again. Tutor Carlsen told us that although she is intelligent, she lacks the patience to sit still and complete her lessons. We already knew of this. Many times, I have had to tell Anna to stay seated while eating. It's as if she has to move constantly to survive. She even moves around in her sleep, even sleepwalking occasionally. I didn't think anything could be more funny than her's or Elsa's sleeptalking, but Anna's unconscious nighttime adventures are another marvel.

I once caught her in the Great Hall, walking and dancing about in her sleep. I quickly brought Agdar over, knowing that he would hate to miss such a spectacle. When she was done, she simply walked past us and headed back upstairs to her bed. We still haven't told her or Elsa, it's an interesting memory that we'll keep to ourselves for now.

Elise gave a snort as she turned a page. "Annika walked in her sleep too. I had to take her back to bed quite a few times," she said to herself.

She read through more entries, laughing at tales of Anna getting into various mishaps and imagining her own Annika doing the same.

A few minutes later, a splitting headache took hold of her. It had been coming and going for a while now, she thought it had probably started around the time she had gotten rid of her parents.

Fighting against the pain, she read on.

* * *

**I've made Anna and Rapunzel the same age here. I've heard people say that in Frozen, she would be more closer to Elsa's age, but I've always liked the idea of her being the same age as Anna. :)**


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**I didn't realize how much cheesiness there was in this chapter. Hope you enjoy! **

* * *

"Thomas, seriously, I'm okay."

Anna waved away his coat, bringing her own winter cape more tightly around her.

"Anna, you're going to-"

"Thomas. I'm okay." Anna fixed him with such a resolute stare that he had no choice but to put his coat back on.

"Where are we going?"

"I don't know. Somewhere. Anywhere. I just. . . I can't think in there. I can't think in that room where she. . . where she. . ."

After Anna had proposed going back to the study to look for clues about ice magic, she had realized that Elsa's body might still be where they had been forced to leave it.

Upon entering the room, however, there was no sign of Elsa there, save for a rug placed over where she had bled out. Elise had gotten Elsa's body moved to a spare room, not knowing or caring about what to do with her.

Thomas gently grabbed Anna's elbow, pulling her to a stop in the middle of the town. There was no one about, save for a few strangers who were quickly heading back to their homes as the snow continued to swirl around them.

"Hey. Shh. It's okay. We're gonna be okay. We'll find out how to bring them back. I promise."

Anna gave him a sad smile as she came closer, the icy wind blowing her bangs to the side and turning her cheeks a rosy pink. "You can't promise that."

"Why not?"

"Because no one knows for sure."

"What did you tell me before?"

"That I don't need your coat?"

Thomas gave a short laugh before shaking his head. "No. The day you first met my family, and I told you about my mother. I told you I'd given up on her ever coming back to normal. What did you say?"

Anna bit down on her lower lip as she thought back to that night. Had it really only been a week ago?

"I. . . I told you not to lose hope."

"That's right. Just like Queen Elsa would've said. Come on, where's that bright smile?"

Anna looked up to see him waiting for her, eyes crinkling at the corners as he regarded her with an expression of warmth and support. The swirling storm didn't seem to bother her as much now, not when she knew that he was with her.

She forced her lips into a tentative smile. It gradually grew into a genuine smile, teeth and all.

"There she is. Welcome back, Princess."

To Thomas' surprise, Anna bumped his shoulder with hers before walking off. "Thought I told you not to call me that," she yelled behind her.

"Where're you going?" he called after her as he followed her steps.

"Orphanage. Those kids'll need some cheering up since I'm pretty sure Mise Lise won't let them play outside in this weather. After that, we'll head back to let Kristoff take a break."

"Sounds good to me."

Anna spun around to face him, now walking backwards. "I'll race you there."

Although her voice was light, her eyes still harbored a deep sadness. In a spur of the moment decision, Thomas ran ahead, leaving her behind. "Meet you there!"

As she gave a cry of protest and started to run after him, Thomas felt a weight being lifted off of his chest. Anna wasn't the same girl she was when she first met him, but she was doing her best to be happy.

And he'd keep her safe and happy, no matter what.

* * *

"Princess Anna!"

Miss Lise, the middle-aged woman who cared for the children in the orphanage was evidently surprised to find Anna and Thomas on her doorstep. "Please, come in," she quickly spoke as she went to gather two cups of piping hot tea. "Roger, shut the door please!"

The boy quickly slammed the door shut before turning to Thomas. "You came to teach me how to swordfight?" he asked eagerly.

"Er, actually, we-"

"Sorry, Roger. I don't think Miss Lise wants you fighting in her house. Maybe some other time," Anna broke in.

Roger scowled. "This storm's never gonna end."

Kjersti and Rita timidly came over, holding a piece of paper between them. "Hi, Princess Anna."

"Hi, girls. Whatcha got there?"

"A drawing. We. . . we're sorry about your mama and papa and Queen Elsa."

They held it out in front of them, staring down at the floor. Roger flushed bright red and mumbled out an "I'm sorry too".

Pretty soon, all of the children in the orphanage had gathered round whispering condolences.

Speechless, Anna took the drawing carefully with trembling fingers.

It was a simple drawing with Anna in the center of the page. Kjersti stood on one side of her with Rita on the other. The other inhabitants of the orphanage stood next to them, Roger drawn with a scowl and Miss Lise with a motherly smile.

A tear dripped onto the page, surprising Anna. She hadn't even realized that she had started to cry. "You. . ."

"We were sad that you don't have a mama, or a papa, or a sister now. So we'll be your family. We love you too, Princess Anna," Rita shyly whispered.

Anna lowered the paper and looked at all of the children's faces. Miss Lise's round face was among them, having just returned from the kitchen.

"Thank you. Thank you all, so much. I. . . I can't thank you enough." Anna brushed a hand over her face, wiping away the tears that had appeared with an embarrassed look on her face.

A sudden wrapping of arms around her waist gave her a startle. She looked down to see the two girls looking up at her with bright smiles as they hugged her. "We can be your family too, now," Kjersti spoke.

With a small squeak in an attempt to fight back a cry, Anna drew the girls closer to her. "Thank you," she breathed.

Anna noticed the other children keeping their distance. She gave them a inviting smile and opened her arms to them. "Come on, you guys. Yes, you too, Roger. And Miss Lise!"

The sound of feet scampering across the floor and cries of delight filled the room as everyone embraced the young princess in a group hug. Anna laughed as the little ones clung tightly to her, while Miss Lise had enveloped them all in her familiar comforting smell of freshly baked bread.

But someone was missing.

Looking around him, Anna spotted Thomas still standing by the door, watching them with a content expression.

"Come on, Thomas. You too."

"What?"

"You heard me. Come on."

Thomas had no choice but to join in. No one could refuse Anna when she looked at them with that beautiful glimmer in her eyes.

He reluctantly placed his arms around the group, meeting Anna's gaze briefly. With a quick exchange of a smile, she turned to the other children, laughing as one boy complained about being squished by everyone else.

Anna never really was the type to be alone for long anyway.

* * *

He walked through the castle, the shadows of the night casting strange shapes onto the walls.

Kristoff was suddenly aware that he was dreaming, the castle had never looked so errie.

"Hello?" he tentatively called out.

He knew that there was something, someone waiting for him at the end of the hall. He could just barely make out a sliver of fabric, hiding behind the drapes of the window in front of him.

"Who are you?" Kristoff immediately felt stupid. Why should he expect someone to respond to him in a dream? "Come on, wake up, wake up. . ."

No matter how hard he tried, he simply couldn't wake himself up. With a huff of frustration, he fixed his gaze back on the figure once more.

"Who are you? I'm not here to hurt you, I promise. I just wanna wake up."

The curtains moved slightly, the sound of the velvety fabric reaching Kristoff's ears.

Although every instinct in his body was telling him not to go any further, to find some other way to wake up from this strange dream, he felt compelled to keep going.

He slowly extended his hand, taking hold of one of the drapes before pushing it aside.

Various things had run through his mind as he carried out this act, disfigured monsters, eerie, lost children. But nothing had prepared him for what awaited him.

"_Elsa?_"

She turned around from where she stood looking out of the window, her hair ghost-white in the moonlight and loose down her back. Her nightgown swished as she moved, her deep-blue eyes watching his every move.

Kristoff couldn't breathe, couldn't think. Immediately, he forgot that he was dreaming. Nothing matter right now, now that he had her back. "Y-you. . . how. . ."

He was instantly silenced, one of her cool fingers, oh how dearly he had missed them, gently placed on top of his lips. She gave him a sympathetic, loving smile as she moved closer. "Kristoff," she whispered.

That familiar voice, that one word was all it took for him to break. With a heaving sob, he pulled her into his arms, pressing her so tightly to him that he was sure her fragile form would break.

"Shh, shh. It's okay." Elsa ran a hand comfortingly over his golden hair, her head resting on his shoulder. Her eyelids fluttered closed as she let him cry into her shoulder, unmindful of his firm grip on her.

"H-how are you. . . what-"

"Hush. There's no need to worry right now. Just let me hold you again. Please."

There was no need for her to add the last word, he would have done anything she asked at that point. With a nod, he simply took a deep, shuddering breath to steady himself.

She felt so real. So alive. Even the abnormal coolness of her skin was the same. And oh, the smell of her hair. It was absolutely infuriating to know that she wasn't there, wasn't really there anymore. That he had to resort to dreaming about her to be with her again. A dream.

Kristoff pulled away, cradling her face in his large hands. "What are you doing here?" he murmured.

"Honestly, I don't know. All I remember is. . . dying." She quickly placed her hands on top of his as soon as he flinched in response.

"Kristoff, I miss you. I miss you, and Anna, and everyone else so much. Are you okay? Is Anna okay?"

"I'm fine, now that you're here. Anna's been. . . about as okay as a someone who just lost her family can be. She's trying to save Arendelle from the winter Elise put us in."

"Another winter?" Elsa's brows rose up high, obviously startled by this news.

"Yeah. But we're going to be okay. I'll look out for her, don't worry."

Elsa gave a small nod before relaxing into his hands. "Thank you."

"There's nothing to thank me for."

She gave a small, breathy laugh before responding. "Always the gentleman."

"Do you know how long you'll be here? Will you be here every time I fall asleep?"

"Have you fallen asleep before this?"

"Yeah. Oh. . ." Kristoff's voice trailed off in realisation.

"Them it looks like this might be the only time we have together. Kristoff, I swear, I'll try whatever I can to come back here. I don't even know where I went after. . . after that. I haven't run into anyone else. It looks like I'm alone here."

Kristoff leaned forward until his forehead came in contact with hers. "You're not alone. I'll always be with you, and so will Anna and the rest of your family. There's gotta be some way to get you guys back. I won't stop looking. I promise."

A glistening tear fell from the corner of Elsa's eye, falling onto Kristoff's thumb. "Okay. I'll hold you to that." She gave him a tiny, wobbly smile. "But, Kristoff."

"Yes?"

"You have to wake up now."

"What?" Only then did Kristoff remember that he was in a dream. "I just found you, I'm not going to leave you right away!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't decide how long you stay here. You're waking up, love."

"No! I won't, not yet! Come on, come on. . ." he muttered under his breath.

"Kristoff." Elsa lifted his head back up to look at him with those wise eyes, that everlasting trust in them. "I love you. Tell Anna that I love her. I believe in you all."

"No! Elsa, wait!"

She slid her hands off of his and took a step back, wearing an look of apology before everything went black.

* * *

"Kristoff!"

He jolted awake, the book in his lap falling to the floor. He looked up to see Anna crouching over him, one hand on his shoulder, apparently having had to shake him awake. Thomas stood behind her, wearing a concerned expression.

"Anna. Wh-what happened?" Kristoff blearily murmured as he sat up in his seat.

"You fell asleep. You were sorta mumbling something. It looked like you were having a nightmare. Are you okay?" Anna pressed as she watched him with the fear evident in her eyes.

A nightmare? More like a dream. A wonderful dream. Oh, how real it had seemed!

"Yeah, I. . . I'm okay." He gave himself a small shake before getting up, Anna's hand still resting on his shoulder. "Wha' happened?" he mumbled.

"Well, we went to the orphanage for a while, but we decided it was time to head back. What happened here?"

"I was. . ." Kristoff's brows furrowed as he tried to think through the fog obscuring his mind. "I was reading when I guess I fell asleep. I had a dream about. . . about Elsa."

Anna's fingers gave a small twitch before she brought her hand down, clasping both of them together tightly. "Y-you did?"

She couldn't lie to herself, she was jealous. She would give anything to see any member of her family again, even if it was in her dreams. Although she knew that it was foolish to be jealous of such a small thing, she found it hard to focus on listening.

"Yeah. It was like she was here. Not that it's possible, it was just a dream." Kristoff blurted out the last sentence, embarrassed at his words.

Anna shook her head, her braids moving slightly from the motion. "She's still here. I'm sure that she's watching us with Mama and Papa and Olaf." With a weak attempt at a joke, she added, "She's probably going all ice-crazy right now."

It worked. Kristoff gave a low chuckle. "Ice-crazy. She hated being called that."

"Why do you think I said it all the time?" Anna's lips were slightly turned up now, even Thomas had a faint smile.

With a low exhale, Kristoff looked at the scattered piles of books around them. "We have to find something in here that can stop this winter."

Suddenly, he grasped at his chest, mouth worked into a grimace as he hunched over.

"Kristoff?!" Anna moved forward, but he only backed away.

"I-I'm okay," he gasped out. "It's been doing this every so often since the storm appeared. I guess Elise's power is all connected, or something."

"Why didn't you say something?!" Anna was furious now. She couldn't believe he would keep something like this quiet. It was something. . . something that Elsa would've done.

"I didn't think it was anything serious!" Kristoff retorted.

"You guys, calm down," Thomas spoke in an attempt to keep emotions from flaring. "Kristoff, is the ice spreading?"

"Don't think so." All three of them looked at his chest where the familiar faint blue glow could be seen through his shirt. "I'll be okay, seriously."

Anna turned and started pacing in frustration. "There's nothing about ice magic! If we knew something about her, like about her past or something, it might help. But the only way to find out is to talk to her, and talking to her is never any fun. The only thing we know about her is that she pretty much had the life we might've had. She's able to make dark ice, like her dress, and she always wears that necklace. I don't think that's a family heirloom, she must've got-"

Her rambling was cut off with a gasp. Both men looked towards her in surprise.

"Anna? What is it?" Thomas cautiously asked.

"The necklace! I can't believe I didn't think of it before! I saw it in a book! I guess I just skipped over it because it didn't say anything about ice magic, and plus, I was really tired, but yeah! The necklace! Change of plans, look through the books we read for the necklace. I'm pretty sure it was in one of those books over. . . there."

She pointed to a large stack of books that lay resting on the desk in the corner.

Kristoff brushed past her, picking up the first book he touched and flipping through the pages.

Thomas and Anna exchanged a small nod before heading over to join them, all three of them searching more fervently than ever.

It was amazing, what one small breakthrough could do.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Welcome back!**

* * *

"I found it!"

Anna scrambled out of her chair over to the couch where Thomas sat, Kristoff accidentally scattering books everywhere as he moved in his hurry to see what Thomas had found.

All three of them looked down at the page. On it, was an old drawing of a necklace with a few sentences beneath it.

"This is it, right?" Thomas hopefully asked.

"That's it, alright." Anna read the sentences out loud. "An ancient necklace crafted by the trolls of times past, it bestows the worthy wearer with powers of unimaginable strength. The wearer is even able to bend the laws of magic, although few have ever tried without the severest of repercussions. It also amplifies whatever magic the wearer might already have. However, only those with the purest of hearts can wield the necklace's full potential."

"Full potential? Wait, what else can Elise do with that necklace?" Kristoff looked up at them, eyes shining brightly as a thought hit him.

"I dunno. She's never really done anything else with it. All we know is that she was able to come here. Everything else was just her own magic. Wait, do you think that-"

"She doesn't have a pure heart? Yeah. Well, not that it was hard to figure out in the first place. So even _she's_ limited," Kristoff spoke in triumph.

"Wait, you guys," Thomas spoke up. "This book mentions trolls. We could look for them and ask for help."

"Yeah, but where would they be? Wait! There was a book of maps around here too!"

Anna leaned over the arm of the couch before coming back up with a large book in her hand.

"Come on, come on," she muttered under her breath as she turned page after page. "It's here! Look!"

The page she had flipped to was a map of Arendelle, although a red line led from the castle to an area near the mountains, an area marked as the Valley of the Hidden Rock.

"There's a drawing of a troll here! This has to be where they live! Come on, we have to go!"

Anna ripped the map out of the book, oblivious to Thomas' and Kristoff's grimaces as the sound grated against their ears. If her parents or Elsa were here to see this, they would be absolutely livid. Especially her father.

She leaped up, pocketing the page and the first book before taking Thomas' hand in hers and heading to the door. She stopped suddenly when she noticed the lack of sound of another's footprints against the floor. "Kristoff?"

He still sat in a chair, although he gave them a weary smile. "I'm staying here." Before Anna could protest, he got up.

"Elise can still control me. Who knows if she can hear us right now? You guys need to hurry, before she finds out. Otherwise, this'll all be for nothing."

"Kristoff-"

"Just _go!_ If she does find out, I'll try and distract her. But you guys are everyone's last hope! Take Sven, he'll keep you guys safe. Now go!"

With a last, anguished glance, Anna headed out, pulling Thomas along after her.

* * *

Elise yawned, covering her mouth with her hand as she drew the sound out. "I can't read another page."

She got up, checking her skirts in the full length mirror before leaving her room.

Once she was in the hallway, she strolled lazily towards the direction of Anna's room.

The familiar door with its green and purple rosemaling was shut, indicating that its inhabitant was not home.

"Annika?" Elise called as she rapped on the door's surface. "Are you in there?"

When there came no response, she gave a small huff of indignation and went off to look for her somewhere else.

She soon met Kai as she rounded a corner, whispering confidentially to a maid. Both straightened up when they saw her, and the maid scurried away as quickly as she could.

"Do you know where I could find Princess Annika?" Elise drawled out.

The confusion on Kai's face was apparent. "Who?"

"Princess Annika? The princess of Arendelle?"

_"Princess of Arendelle? Does she_ _mean Princess Anna?"_ Kai hesitated before shaking his head. "No. I haven't seen her." His tone was formal, distant, showing no sympathy for this so-called ruler.

With a shrug, Elise walked past, patting his shoulder briefly. "Oh well. Thank you anyway, I suppose."

Kai let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding after she passed by. The howling of the wind outside caught his attention, and he drifted over to a window.

The snow was swirling tumultuously, making it hard to see outside. Even inside the castle, the temperature was dropping. Remembering Queen Elsa's tendency to make the atmosphere more cooler in times of stress, Kai guessed that this new Queen Elise was having some troubles of her own.

The princess had come to him before she left with Thomas, saying that she was off to find a way to end the winter and stop Elise. There was no way in hell that he would tell Elise that the princess was on her way to find out how to bring her down.

The young princess' behavior surprised him, not that he didn't think she was capable of such brave and noble abilities. Anna had always been the one to be more relaxed, leaving the rest of the family and staff to worry over matters.

But this Anna, Crown Princess Anna Synnøve Helene Christiansen of Arendelle was a different girl from the one he had known before. Going out into a now tumultuous storm to bring summer back to Arendelle, and to find a way to bring back her family was a task many would have turned down. Kai couldn't help but feel proud of how the young princess had grown. All he had to do was make sure that their "Queen" was unaware until she returned with answers.

* * *

The flurries of snow flew by in the air, obscuring one's view until they could only see a few feet in front of them. Sven had slowed down to a trot, to make sure that they didn't run into any trees.

Anna sat in front with the map in her hands, squinting her eyes against the wind as she struggled to make out where they were on the map. Thomas sat behind her, losing hope with every second that they were out there, and knowing that holding the princess about the waist was stepping way out of line, but where else was he to hold onto? Anna didn't seem to mind, or even notice.

"Okay, I think we're in this part of the forest." She pointed to the middle of the forest on the map, her gloved hand obscuring most of it.

"How are we gonna get through this blizzard?" Thomas half-yelled in order to be heard against the howling wind.

"Sven knows his way. I think. He knows these forests. Come on Sven, keep going north!"

At a slightly quicker speed than before, Sven continued on, eager to prove his navigational skills.

"Anna, the blizzard's picking up! We have to go back!"

"No! We can find it, I know we can! J-just give me some more time!"

"You're shivering! Anna, we're going to freeze to death out here!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Thomas knew that he had said the wrong thing. He felt Anna stiffen as an uncomfortable silence fell over them, both of them thinking of her parents' fates.

"I-I'm sorry, Anna. I didn't-"

"It's f-fine. Let's just keep going. Please." She looked back at him, her blue lips trembling as her eyes pleaded with his. "Please."

Thomas could feel the cold chipping away at his willpower. If he was freezing, he knew that Anna had to be too. And yet, somehow, she still had enough fight in her to continue on. "Okay. But as soon as you start to get colder, we're heading back right away. Promise?"

Anna nodded, eyes closed in relief before she turned back to face the forest in front of them. That firmness in his voice, it had been so much like her father's._ "No. You can't cry right now. Thomas'll see, and he'll make us turn back. I can cry about Papa later, but right now I have to keep going. I can do this. We're gonna make it."_

Sven gave a low snort of surprise as he veered left, narrowly missing a boulder.

"Thomas, look. T-the snow," Anna chattered between shaking teeth.

Both looked up to see that the heavily falling snow was starting to recede the further the went.

They passed more and more boulders, until finally there were no traces of snow to be seen. Already, it was much warmer.

"This is amazing. Wait, what's that?" Anna pointed up ahead to where a clearing was visible, a sort of ring of stones surrounding it.

"This must be it. But where's the trolls?"

Sven stopped in the center, eyes flitting from spot to spot curiously.

Anna slid off before Thomas could, energy revived by the unusual warmth of the area. "Hello? I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm looking for your help. Please, Arendelle is in danger."

She spun around in response to a noise, but found that it was only Thomas dismounting Sven.

"Please? I-I don't know anything about you, but I hope that you can help us. I'm begging you, please, don't. . . don't let it all be for nothing."

A stone rumbled.

* * *

"She's not here."

With a snarl, Elise stomped out of the portrait room. She had gone to almost all of the rooms, but found no sign of Anna.

"You, where is the Princess?" she barked out to a young maid passing by.

"I-I don't know, Your Majesty." The girl shook visibly, the basket of laundry in her hands almost spilling onto the floor.

Elise gave a groan of disgust. "Does no one know where their Princess is? Honestly, how can you be tasked with working here?"

Ducking her head down, the girl briskly walked away, leaving Elise to stare after her.

"Where is that Kristoffer fool? Where haven't I gone yet? Hmm. . . basement, old guest rooms, main study. . . that must be it."

When she reached the room, she blew the door open with a gust of air.

She found Kristoff sitting in a chair, immersed in a book when she got his attention.

"Annika. Where is she?" she all but hissed out.

Kristoff lowered the book in false surprise. "Who?"

"You know who I'm talking about, reindeer man. Don't play dumb with me. Where. Is. She?"

With each enunciated word, she stepped closer, icy spikes growing alongside her path.

"I don't know. Maybe she went out for a walk?" he calmly replied.

"In a blizzard?"

"Anna's been known to do things others normally wouldn't do. Although, you obviously don't know anything about her."

Elise's face contorted itself into a malicious smirk. With a quick jerk of her hand, Kristoff fell forward, clutching at his chest as he breathed in erratic, gasping breaths.

"Don't test me. Where is she?"

Kristoff gave her the most spiteful look he could muster while fighting back the pain.

"If you don't tell me, I might have to take my anger out on the loyal subjects of Arendelle."

Wait, what? Kristoff's eyes widened in fear as he detected no sign of bluffing. "You. . . you wouldn't-"

"Oh, you don't believe I would do it, do you? You forget, I froze over my own kingdom to assert control. What makes you think I won't do it here? Are you really willing to risk all of those lives simply because you didn't tell me where my sister is?"

"She's not your sister," he spoke weakly. "She never was, and you can't make her love you. That's not how love works."

Elise stooped down in order to catch every word. Her brows drew low over her eyes as she glared into his eyes. "What do you know about love?"

"More than you. More than you ever will. Love isn't about revenge. It's about sacrifice, to do whatever you can to make them happy, to keep them happy even if it means you have to give up something you have. That's something you'll never understand."

With a blank stare, Elise drew herself up into her full height. "Really. Well, I. . . I guess I should be quite enlightened. But honestly, it's all a bunch of balderdash. I'm going to give you one last chance to tell me where she is."

With a shaky laugh, Kristoff shook his head. "You can kill me, but don't hurt anyone else."

"And why would I listen to you?"

"Because how will Anna love you if she knows you've killed more innocent people, even if you're as powerful as you say you are?" Kristoff's gaze flickered to her necklace for half a second, and he mentally yelled at himself for being so stupid, hoping that she didn't notice.

No such luck.

Elise looked down at her necklace, a worried expression of recognition appearing on her face. "The trolls," she deadpanned.

"No, th-"

"Don't. Lie. To. Me. She went to the trolls? Hmm?"

Kristoff refused to look away, facing her glare head on with one of his own. "Go to hell," he muttered.

Her lips curled instantly into a twisted smile, and she brought him back up into a standing position with a simple motion of her hand. A random flash of pain hit her again, and she rubbed at her temples with closed-eyes, as if willing the headache to leave. "I'll pass, thank you. But I know where I'll be going now. And you're coming with me."

* * *

**Time for Anna's name analysis. **

**• Anna Synnøve Helene Christiansen**

**- Anna: gracious/full of grace**

**- Synnøve: Sun's gift (to match her warm, bright personality) **

**- Helene: light/bright (again, with the bright personality)**


	17. Chapter Seventeen

The book had been right. The trolls, they were. . . _real?_

One of them, obviously regarded as the leader by the way the others made way for him, came over to Anna.

"Princess Anna, welcome. We're honored to have you here."

"You know me? Have we met?" The questions flew out of her mouth, too quick for her to reign them back in. With an embarrassed smile, she crouched down to see him more clearly. "I'm sorry, I'm just nervous I guess, well, I don't guess, I actually know that I'm nervous-"

"Princess." The troll cut her off politely with an understanding smile. "It's fine. I have been blessed with strange power, and the always sporadic power of foresight has allowed me to see that you were coming here a few minutes before you actually arrived. The trolls waiting here were apprehensive, we've never had human visitors before. Visitors in general. I hope you'll excuse our late welcome, but we had to wait and see if you were a true ally, or one who would abuse the knowledge and power hidden here."

"It's fine, really! Wait, foresight? So you. . . you saw what was going to happen to my parents?"

By then, Anna's voice had trailed off to a faint whisper of disbelief and accusation. If he had known, why didn't he tell them? Everything might've been different.

"Yes, Princess. I'm sorry, I would have told you, but we are not allowed to leave our home. The mysterious magic here keeps us alive, keeps us from being mere stones and pebbles."

Although it still hurt to know that someone had known what would have happened, Anna understood. Or at least, she understood as much as she could given the fact that she knew very little about magic and even less about magic keeping trolls in one place. "I understand. I'm sorry if I seemed a bit. . . you know, like I blamed you for it. I was wrong."

"It's fine. We all make mistakes, whether in our best of times or our worst. I wish that we could have been able to inform you in time. Now. . . what do you need our assistance for?"

"Oh!" In an instant, Anna brought out the book, flipping it open to the page with the necklace. "Elise has been wearing this necklace, and we think it's what's giving her all of these strange powers. She said she was able to come to our world or something, and in the book it says that the trolls made it. Do you know anything about this?"

A pang of guilt hit her as the troll's expression fell, eyes closing as if he couldn't bear to look at the drawing. "Yes, I know of it," he murmured sadly.

"Do. . . can you tell us about it?" she asked tentatively, sensing that something about it caused him great pain and shame.

With a sigh, the troll closed the book and gave it back to her before turning to face the other trolls.

Anna exchanged a quick backwards glance at Thomas, noting that he had removed his hat in the presence of the trolls.

Suddenly, the troll raised his hands, and images very much like the Northern lights appeared in the sky above them.

With a gasp of surprise, Anna got up and walked over to him, standing at a respectable distance away from him. "This is amazing. So it's always been you making the lights?"

The troll gave a low chuckle before shaking his head. "No. Those lights belong to a magic much larger than that of any being. This is simply used as a small form of storytelling. Look."

Both watched as small figures appeared in the colors above.

"They're. . . they're trolls?" Anna curiously asked.

"Yes. Some of the first. They were the ones who crafted the necklace, many, many years ago. Sadly, our ancestors did not think of the consequences that would arise. They greedily wished to bring all of their power together to prove the strength of the ancient trolls, and as time passed, the necklace was used more and more for evil, whether it be by the trolls or other human beings. Therefore, we felt the need to keep it locked away, safely, where no one, not even we who have descended from the original makers, could use it."

Thomas stepped forward, going over to Anna's side as he watched the skies in wonder. "But then how did Elise get it?"

"I can answer that for you."

The cold voice pierced through the air, drawing everyone's attention to the figure behind them.

Anna's face paled as she realized who stood there. "Elise."

"Annika. What are you doing here? You'll catch a cold, and then you'll have to stay in bed. We both know how you despise bed rest."

Actually, she was right about that. Anna couldn't stand being confined to one space for long. Taking a few steps forward with her hands raised, she swallowed back a lump in her throat. Only then did she notice the figure behind Elise. "Kristoff? W-what are you doing here?" she whispered.

Elise brought Kristoff with a wave of her hand, a grimace stretching across his face as he struggled to fight against her control.

"Your dear friend tried his best to keep me from coming here, but he ultimately failed. Oh, it wasn't entirely his fault. He's just a bad liar. What a shame. Now, Annika, let's go home." Elise was about to turn back around, expecting Anna to fall in line with her when a single word stopped her dead in her tracks.

"No."

". . . Excuse me?"

"No. I'm not going with you." Anna could feel her hands shake, but she kept her head high with a defiant expression.

Everyone in the area felt the sudden chill fall upon them, although the heat surrounding the valley alleviated it quite a bit.

"My powers, they don't work as well here?" Elise looked around, as if the answer would appear when she shook her head violently. "No matter. Now, dear sister, I don't believe I heard you right. What did you say?"

"She said no. She doesn't have to listen to you."

Anna shot Thomas a warning glance as he spoke up, knowing that Elise's temper wouldn't let this go unpunished.

Elise gave a scratchy burst of laughter, one that grated against their ears. "And who are you to talk to me like this?"

"A citizen of Arendelle. A true citizen, not one who takes a throne from a beloved Queen in order to fulfill some selfish wants of her own."

There was no mistaking that ugly sneer on Elise's face now. "You'd best watch yourself, you petty guard."

"Better a petty guard than a spoiled child."

Anna stepped in front of him as Elise gave a shriek of rage, arm outstretched and ready to attack.

"No! Thomas, wait. Let me talk to her." She placed a gloved hand on his chest, causing the man to relax slightly, although he still glared at Elise with what had once been gentle, were now stern green eyes.

Mustering up all of the courage she had, Anna walked over to Elise. She gave Kristoff a small nod and a smile, to reassure him that she would be able to make things better. Or at least, she hoped.

"Annika, what have these trolls been telling you? Whatever it is, it's nothing but poisonous lies meant to tear us apart," Elise hissed as her eyes flitted to the elderly troll surrounded by the rest of his people.

"Nothing. They didn't say anything about you. But Elise, I. . . I'm not Annika. I'm not your sister. I'm sorry."

Elise watched her uncomprehendingly for a second before giving the trolls a malevolent glare. "So this is what they've done to you? Annika, my dear sweet Annika, of course you're my sister. Who else would you be?"

"But I'm not. I'm Anna. Anna Synnøve Helene Christiansen of Arendelle. Please, you need to understand!"

Shaking her head furiously, Elise started to back away slowly, like a terrified child. "No. You're wrong. They've done something to you. You're my Annika. Annika Sofia Liliane. Y-you've always loved to paint, you're allergic to chocolate, and for some weird reason, you've always liked lutefisk."

"Elise." She looked up to see Anna wearing a sad, sympathetic smile. "I'm sorry, but I'm not her. I actually love chocolate, and wouldn't eat lutefisk even if someone paid me. We're not the same people. Just because you came here, to a place that's pretty much the same as your home, doesn't mean that I'm the same as her."

"No! Stop it!" Elise started to breath in deep, gasping breaths. She placed one hand on her chest as her legs started to shake, making her gait ungainly and almost resulting in her tripping over her own feet once or twice.

Kristoff inhaled deeply as he felt his body start to respond to him once again, the stress affecting Elise's hold on him.

Anna still followed the girl, refusing to stay quiet. "And you're not my sister either. I loved Elsa, I still love her. And my parents aren't the same as yours were. Please, stop taking out what happened on people who didn't do anything to you."

"Stop it!" A row of icy spikes formed a half-circle around Elise as she threw her hand out in anger, chest heaving as she struggled to keep control over her emotions.

Anna jumped back at the sight, but remained where she stood. "Please, Elise. Can't you reverse what you've done? Please, please! They had nothing to do with whatever happened!"

"You don't know what happened!" Elise yelled back, emotions fully unrestrained now. A slight wind was starting to pick up around her as she glared at Anna. "My parents saw me as a monster! A monster! I didn't mean to kill my sister, my best friend! But because of that single accident, I was forever branded as a-a freak in their eyes! That's why I killed them! I came to the trolls after reading about this almighty necklace, and found that it couldn't even resurrect Annika!"

"According to that troll," here she pointed at the elderly leader, "even magic can't bring back the dead. And then, the necklace only works best for those with 'pure hearts' or whatever! The only thing I could do was come to place where my sister still lived, where you lived! I came here, to start over Annika! Why won't you just listen to me!"

"I am listening! But you won't listen to me!" Anna pleaded as the wind picked up.

Thomas was helping Kristoff over to Sven when he glanced back over to where the two girls were still arguing. As soon as he had Kristoff safely on Sven, he headed back over to Anna's side, eyes tearing up as the powerful gusts of wind continued to swirl around all of them.

"Anna! It's no use! She won't listen!"

"No, I know this'll work! Just wait!"

It all suddenly came together for Elise. Him. He was the one who had brainwashed her Annika, who had made her believe she wasn't her sister, the sister she loved so much. The one she had killed for.

Seeing as he was busy trying to convince Anna to try a different tactic, Elise concentrated the ice to her palms, slowly raising them as she sought to aim for his heart.

Strangely disconcerted by Elise's silence all of a sudden, Anna looked back to see her about to attack Thomas.

"No!" With a desperate yell, she threw herself in front of his way, taking the hit herself. _"I'm not going to let anyone else die."_

The ice hit her square in the heart, the feeling instantly shocking her and rendering her stunned. She stood there, her hands trembling as she placed them over the afflicted area.

"Anna!" Both Thomas and Kristoff exclaimed at the same time. Thomas ran over, catching her tiny figure before she fell, while Kristoff urged Sven to go over to them.

Elise watched them, horrified by what she had done. The wind had ceased to blow, and all was deathly quiet. The trolls looked sorrowfully on, the more daring edging closer to see if the girl was alright.

"Anna? Anna! Look at me! Come on, wake up! Anna!" Thomas shook her form slightly, searching for any sign of response as her eyes remained closed.

Kristoff dismounted Sven and crouched down next to the two as the tears trailed silently down his face. _"I'm sorry, Anna, Elsa. I couldn't protect either of you."_

Thomas continued to shake Anna as Elise edged closer, eyes wide in fear as she slowly began to comprehend what she had done.

With a slight fluttering of her lashes, Anna opened her eyes wearily. "Thomas?" she croaked.

He gave a relieved laugh, one given only when people are too shocked or relieved to respond normally. "Yeah. It's me. Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine. I just. . . hurt a little." A section of her hair suddenly turned white, an after-effect of being hit by the ice.

Thomas's relieved smile quickly turned to a look of horror, and he glanced up swiftly to see Elise standing but a few feet away from them, wringing her hands as if to keep herself from unintentionally hurting others. "You did this. How do you undo it?" he asked in a low, cold voice.

"I-I can't. I never could," Elise hastily stammered out, too scared to give a usual snarky comment.

"What do you mean you never could?! You're the one who did this, you should know how to undo it!" Thomas's voice was growing louder, until it echoed around them in the valley, the anger and frustration reverberating off of the rocks until it felt almost tangible.

"Thomas," Anna spoke up weakly. "Don't. . . just let me talk to her."

"But you-"

"Please. _Please,_ Thomas."

Although he didn't want to, he couldn't refuse her now, not when her life was in danger.

Anna struggled to look up to where Elise stood, prompting the older girl to sit down on the ground beside her, taking the now cold hands in her own icy ones.

"Elise."

"Yes?"

"I'm. . . sorry."

"No. You have nothing to be sorry for. It was me. I-I'm so sorry, Ann-"

"But I'm not your sister. I'm not Annika."

Elise's hands gripped Anna's more tightly, refusing to believe it. She hadn't done all of these things just to find that who she believed was her sister was in fact, not the same as her own.

"You have to believe me. Your sister loved you, and I know she loved you too. But you can't let her death change you. She wouldn't want to see you like this," Anna spoke almost inaudibly.

Shutting her eyes tightly, Elise was shocked to find that a few tears escaped from the corners of her eyes. She hadn't cried since Annika died. Annika. . . wasn't coming back. No matter where she went, she couldn't get her Annika back.

"I'm sorry," she sobbed out as she opened her eyes again to see Anna patiently watching her, a gentle smile gracing her lips.

"I know. It's okay now."

"No, it's not! I-I killed-"

"I know. But you can find a way to undo it. I know you can."

Anna reached up, her arms trying to make their way around Elise's in a hug.

Elise guided the arms around her neck, relaxing into the embrace when she felt a strange tugging sensation at the back of her neck.

She pulled back slightly, confusion on her face. "What?"

"It was the necklace. You don't need it anymore. You never needed it. You're strong on your own." Shutting her eyes from the effort, Anna quickly pulled as hard as she could, ripping the necklace from Elise's neck.

Immediately, Elise felt the heaviness clouding her mind disappear.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**We're so close to the end!**

**Dania Gonzalez: Hi there! Thanks for visiting! As for what you said, I'm not exactly sue what you're talking about, but I think it has to do with the last line of the chapter. I had Thomas say goodnight instead of bye because he's responding to what Anna said. It just fit better, in my opinion. **

**taylorjago: Redemption! :D And thank you, you're too kind! **

* * *

Anna's hand fell from Elise's neck, still holding onto the necklace.

Elise brought her hands to her temples, a wave of fresh, clear memories rushing into her mind. "Annika. . . oh no. I-I. . . _what have I done?_"

"It was necklace." All of them gave a small jump, save for Anna, at the old troll's solemn voice. He was standing beside them, regarding Anna with a sad stare.

"The necklace was made out of greed, of evil. That was the repercussion the book spoke of. While the necklace grants one's deepest wishes, depending on the wearer, it also had the ability to infuse the evil that had been used to make it into the wearer. Only the pure hearted can escape the curse."

"It wasn't you," Anna spoke up faintly. Flashing Elise a shadow of her usually beaming grin, she took in a deep breath. "It was the necklace that made you do everything."

"No, you're wrong. I-I killed my parents and kept Arendelle stuck in a winter before I even found the necklace! I. . . I am a monster, just like they said."

"No."

Elise's watery eyes flickered up to meet the troll's. "What?" she croaked out in disbelief.

"Yes, you were filled with anger and sought revenge. Those first actions were yours. However, the hunt for the necklace drove you to near insanity. It fed off of that, making it easier for it to manipulate you. You were not originally an evil person, Queen Elise."

Seeing as she was about to protest again, he raised a gray finger. "I know. Everyone makes irreversible, horrible changes in their worst of times. But we can fix it."

She gave a scoff as she rubbed harshly at her eyes, hating herself for showing any sign of weakness. "How? I obviously don't have a pure heart."

The troll glanced at Anna, whose hair was still turning white in various patches. Even her lips had begun to turn blue. "M-me?" she chattered, fighting to speak against the unbearable cold.

"Princess Anna, you've proven your purity of heart various times. You came here, braving the cold in order to save your kingdom and reverse the storm. You stepped in the way of dangerous ice magic in order to keep a loved one safe. I have no doubt that you can harness the power of the necklace to undo what has been done."

"But it can't bring back the dead," Kristoff interjected.

"She doesn't have to. However, if I am correct, she might be able to change the laws of time for a brief moment."

"Wait, what if something goes wrong?" Thomas worriedly spoke up. "Will something happen to her?"

"And Elise. . . she'll still be here. She won't be back home," Anna whispered.

"Not quite. And no, nothing will happen to her. Dear Anna," here he stepped closer until he was able to take her hands in his own smaller ones. It would have been hilarious to her, if she wasn't in danger of freezing to death.

"You can reverse time so that this will have never happened. Your heart, your love is the key. Elise will be back in her own home. . . with her sister."

Anna gave a determined nod as she tried to sit up. "I'll do it. I-I don't know how though. Will you help me?" she weakly asked.

The troll responded with a tiny nod before squeezing her hands tightly. "Of course."

The other trolls gathered around, forming a ring around the group, their own necklaces starting to light up as they joined hands.

Thomas placed a hand on top of Anna's. She glanced up into his face to see him watching her patiently, the fear starting to recede from his eyes. "You can do it."

Kristoff's hand came to rest on her shoulder. "You got it, Feistypants."

Even Sven had come to stand behind her, the sound of his even, steady breathing putting her at ease.

Elise was the only one who hadn't come closer, clutching her hands tightly to her chest.

"Elise?" Anna murmured, voice as calm as the sea after a tumultuous storm.

"Anna, I can't. I don't deserve your forgiveness, a second chance. Just. . . just turn back time, but leave me be. I'll take whatever sentence you find worthy."

Anna's brow furrowed in confusion weakly before she shook her head slowly. "Everyone deserves a second chance. Please."

That single word sealed her fate. Elise scooted closer before placing a hand lightly on top of the others. "I-I'm so sorry, Anna. All of you. I'm so sorry."

"Shh. It's fine. And even if you aren't my Elsa. . . you're still a sister to me. I love you, Elise."

The former ice witch's eyes widened as the younger girl smiled confidingly up at her. "I love you too, Anna," she murmured. Who knew that one girl would have the power to melt her heart?

"Elise." The troll spoke up, drawing her attention. "When you return to your home, you must remember: love is the key. Don't let fear overtake you. You are in control of your powers, not the opposite."

Love. Such a simple thing, and she had never been able to harness it. She had let her fear incapacitate her that fateful night as a child, and then her hatred distort and change her. "Love. Yes. I'll remember. Thank you. . ."

"Call me Grandpabbie."

"Thank you, Grandpabbie. If we meet again, I promise to meet on better terms."

The troll gave a small, low chuckle. "I will hold you to that."

Turning his attention back to Anna, he inhaled deeply. "Are you ready?"

"Y-yes. What do I do?" The ice from her heart had started to spread to her face in random patches,

"You must concentrate on what you want the magic to do. Be very clear, and don't lose focus."

"Okay." Grasping the necklace more tightly between her gloves, Anna closed her eyes tightly.

_"Please, make things so that they were what they were before, and give Elise another chance with her sister. Please, please."_

She became aware of a warmth emanating from her chest, where she had been struck but didn't open her eyes. Focus.

The warmth was spreading, spreading to her hands and filling those around her.

It rose into the air, encircling them all as the magic began to comply with Anna's wishes. The others looked about them in awe, but Elise quickly returned her gaze to Anna's concentrating form. _"So this is what love can do."_

Anna became aware of a growing lightness on one of her hands, as if one of the hands were disappearing. _"Focus. You can do this."_

As quickly as it came, the warmth and light disappeared. Anna warily opened her eyes, only to find them still in the valley, but missing one person.

"Elise? Did she. . ."

Thomas nodded, face full of pride. "Yeah. You did it. And look."

He lifted one of her braids, and she looked down to see that the streaks of white had disappeared.

"What? Kristoff, quick, do you still have the mark?"

The blond's eyes flashed down to his shirt, and he pulled it aside to see no trace of the blue he had come to be so familiar with. "No. That means-"

"They're back! Oh, they're back!"

Anna all but leaped out of Thomas's hold, about to lift up Grandpabbie in an act of celebration when she gave a yelp of surprise and almost fell over him.

Kristoff rolled his eyes with a chuckle while Thomas gave a stifled snort, both of them glad to see her back to normal.

She was apologizing profusely, face burning scarlet. "I guess I just underestimated how heavy you are, I mean, I'm not trying to say you're _fat_ or anything-"

The troll patted her hands comfortingly, obviously not offended and even a bit amused by her rambling. "It's fine. But I suggest that you return to Arendelle."

"Arendelle! Right! Thomas, Kristoff, we have to-" Her words cut off as something fell from her hand.

She immediately stooped down to pick it up, her hands turning it every which way to examine it. "Er, Grandpabbie? The necklace, I think I sort of. . . broke it."

She handed it carefully to him, and he looked it over once before giving her a reassuring smile. "The magic was too powerful for the necklace. It can't hurt anyone anymore."

"But what about the evil and whatever that was inside it? Where'd it go?" Anna's speech was speeding up, her nervousness rendering a mess.

"No. It's fine. The necklace and the evil inside of it is powerful no longer. By my guess, your magic removed it from existence forever."

"My magic? But I don't have any magic, I'm not like Elsa, or Elise."

"Your magic isn't easily seen, like theirs, but just as important. You, dear Anna, possess the ever-needed gift of optimism, the strongest weapon of the pure-hearted."

Anna gave him a skeptical grin. "I don't think that's a thing."

"Believe what you like, but there is no mistaking what change you have wrought. Or rather, the change you have reversed."

With a gasp, Anna stood back up, glancing over to Thomas and Kristoff. "They're back! Come on, let's go!" With a kiss to the top of Grandpabbie's head and a wave to the trolls, she took off at a brisk run, not even waiting for the others.

_"They're back! Oh Elsa, Mama, Papa."_

* * *

"Ellie, come on!"

Elise turned around where she stood, looking about her in confusion. "Where am I?"

"Silly, did you fall asleep? Lisa fell _asleeep!_"

She looked towards the source of the noise to see her sister, her Annika standing on a tall pile of snow. It didn't even register that her sister had used the nickname that she couldn't bear to be called, a wide grin spread across her eight year-old face. "Anni!"

"_Yeaaaaah?_ Come on, I wanna play some more!"

"Anni, I had a really weird dream or something. I-"

"Tell me later, I just wanna get down from here!"

With a giggle, Elise made one large snow pile after another, Annika leaping onto them as her bubbling laughter filled the Great Hall.

"Catch me!"

"Okay!" Elise ran forward in order to have a better angle, but slipped on the floor and hit Annika's head instead.

No. This can't be happening. Not again.

"Annika!" Elise's scream pierced through the air, and she ran over to where her sister lay with tears streaming heavily down her face.

She turned her over, cradling her head in her lap. A single streak of white was visible among the usual strawberry-blonde hair.

"Annika, no. No. Anni, I'm so sorry!"

Frost began to appear around her feet, covering the floor about them with lacy, delicate patterns. She despised how her powers could be so beautiful at one point and so deadly the next.

As she huddled over her sister's still form, the troll's words flitted through her mind. _"Love is the key."_

Love. Of course she loved Annika, she loved her more than anyone in the world.

Clutching her sister more closely to herself, she spoke in between gasping sobs. "I love you, Annika. Please don't go. I love you."

A tear fell onto Annika's cheek, where is dissipated quickly. Staring in shock at where it had just fallen, Elise shook her sister lightly. "Annika?"

The streak of white started to slowly recede, disappearing first from the end of the girl's pigtail up to the roots of her hair until it disappeared. And her eyes opened soon after, the bright blue-green hue of them as beautiful as ever. "Lise?"

"Anni! Oh, you're okay! You're okay!" Elise hugged her sister tightly, laughing and crying into her shoulder as Annika sat there, confused.

The King and Queen burst into the room, taking in the appearance of their children in the makeshift winter wonderland.

"Elise! Annika! What are you doing?" the King exclaimed as he and his wife ran over to them, the Queen scooping up Annika while he picked up Elise.

"Papa, I'm so sorry. I accidentally hit her while we were playing. But it's gone now! It was love! Love made the ice disappear!"

"Yeah!" Annika repeated. "Do it again, Lise!"

Raising her hands, Elise concentrated on Annika and her family as they watched the snow break itself up into bits and pieces before accumulating into a large snowflake above them. As soon as she moved her hands apart, the snow disappeared.

The King and Queen exchanged a surprised glance as Elise watched hesitantly. Hopefully, she wouldn't get in too much trouble.

"Oh, my daughter. My dear Elise," the King murmured as he pulled his daughter close to him. "I'm so proud of you. I'm sorry I haven't been with you girls as often as I should be. I got caught up in work, again. Can you forgive me?"

Turning her head, Elise gave her father a kiss on the cheek. "Of course, Papa. I love you."

"Me too! I love you more!" Annika shouted.

The family laughed, and the King and Queen decided that it was time for the girls to be back in bed.

As they were making their way upstairs, Annika spoke up. "Lise, what was that dream you were talking about?"

The dream? Oh, right. The one where she had been Queen of Arendelle and wreaked havoc after killing her sister. More like a nightmare. But the dream had turned out well in the end. And now she was here with her family.

"I forgot."

"It's okay, I'll tell you 'bout mine!" As Annika started to tell them about her latest dream including dragons and fighting them with snowballs, her wild hand movements causing her mother to scold her gently, Elise smiled and relaxed into her father's hold.

She was safe, and she had her family.

She loved them.

* * *

**Okay, on a totally unrelated note, have you guys listened to Taylor Swift's new album?! I was very skeptical about this new direction that she's headed in, but it sounds pretty good. :) **


	19. Chapter Nineteen

"Elsa! Mama, Papa!"

Anna ran past Kai before backtracking and basically jumping up and down in front of him in her impatience. "Kai! Kai! Kai, where's my family?"

"Where we last left them in the large quarters, Princess. What's happened to the win-"

"Thanks, Kai! Bye, Kai!" Anna took off towards her parents' room, leaving a stunned Kai behind her.

Thomas, Kristoff and Sven soon made it to him, and after finding out where she had gone, also ran off.

"B-but the winter? What's happened?" Kai sputtered out.

Anna's hands shook as she got the doorknob open, and she burst into the room.

Only to bump into someone.

Falling to the floor, Anna rubbed her head as she winced in pain.

"Anna? What's happened? Are you okay?"

That voice. That voice!

Anna looked up to see Elsa looking down at her, about to crouch down to help her up with a confused, yet concerned expression.

"Elsa!" Anna tackled her sister, both of them falling back into the room as they hit the floor.

"Anna, wha-"

"Elsa! Oh, Elsa! You're okay! You're okay! I-I'm so happy!" she cried out between hiccups and sobs.

"Yes, yes I am." Elsa brought a hand up to smooth down Anna's hair comfortingly before getting them both up into a sitting position. "What's happened? The only thing I remember is-"

"Long story. I'm just so glad it worked!" With a high-pitched gasp, Anna got up. "Where's Mama and Papa?"

The sound of a throat clearing attracted her attention. She looked to her right to see her parents waiting there, watching them both with smiles on their faces as Agdar stood with his arms protectively around Idun's waist.

"Papa! Mama!" Anna ran over to them, embracing both in a bone-crushing hug.

Amidst her her babbling and their calm, yet happy murmurings, Elsa heard the sound of yet more footsteps approaching the door. She stood up, brushing down her skirts before looking to see who it was.

Thomas entered first, with Sven trailing behind as he gave her a beaming grin before they moved to the side.

She only had a second to smile back at him before she noticed who else had just entered.

"Kristoff."

He stood there before her, looking as healthy as ever. He was watching her with a look of awe, mouth slightly open before he gave a relieved laugh and moved towards her to scoop her up.

Elsa was quicker.

She ran to him, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist as she buried the side of her face in his shirt. "Oh, Kristoff. You're alright."

His arms came to rest around her, his head resting on top of hers, breathing in the familiar smell of her. "Elsa. I missed you so much."

She pulled back only to cup his face with her delicate hands, searching it intently for any sign of pain. "I've missed you too. Are you hurt? Is your heart-"

"I'm fine. We're all okay. I've never been better." He suddenly picked her up, eliciting a yelp from the petite girl before he pressed his lips fervently against hers.

Entwining her fingers in his hair and pulling him closer, Elsa could feel her worries melt away as the pair kissed each other as if they would never see each other again. It had been true, for a while. But everyone was back together.

A sudden pointed cough broke them apart, and Kristoff sheepishly placed Elsa back on the floor.

Anna stood watching them next to her parents, arms crossed as she gave them a saucy grin. "You guys done? We've got a lot to talk about."

With a small clearing of her throat, Elsa nodded and laced an arm through Kristoff's. "Of course. What's happened? Where is Elise?"

"Elise?" Idun looked from one daughter to another, as both girls realized how much there was to be told and heard.

"Let's go get Kai and the rest of the staff. Everyone gather in the Great Hall, we're gonna be there for a while," Anna called out as she grabbed Thomas' hand and pulled him out of the room with her.

* * *

"So she never really wanted to be evil after all?"

Elsa's question was made quietly, as she ruminated over what Anna had just told everyone.

"No. I mean, she was angry, and who wouldn't be? Her anger took control of her, but once we got the necklace off of her, she was completely different from the person we first met."

"I hope she's okay," said Idun. "I feel horrible for what her parents did to her. Even though we aren't her parents, I feel responsible somehow. Perhaps that's why she was so surprised to see us when she came here. She wasn't used to having love from her parents."

Agdar rubbed her shoulders in an attempt to comfort her. "It was a mistake. This could have been what happened to us. I'm just glad that we're all fine now, and hope that she was able to mend her relationship with her family."

Idun looked to Elsa's hand. "We've missed so much, though. I never thought I would miss my daughter's wedding."

"It's fine, Mama." Elsa took her mother's hands in hers as she rubbed slow, relaxing circles into them with her thumbs. "We had a small, simple ceremony. We'd be happy to have the wedding that we originally planned out. Right, Kristoff?"

Although the man hated having to wear any type of formal outfit, he would do anything to keep Elsa and her family happy. "Of course."

Idun gave him a grateful, understanding smile. "Thank you."

"Your Majesty," spoke up Kai, "What about the others?"

"Oh yes, Arendelle. I shall address them soon. Kai, could you send out a summons? It's best to let everyone know at once."

"Of course, Your Majesty."

Kai swept into a low bow and headed out of the room, the rest of the servants following his example before going back to their respective work.

"So, the wedding? We still have a week before the dignitaries come," Anna piped up.

"That gives us enough time to prepare. I believe that we should keep what has happened here a secret of Arendelle. We haven't noticed any drastic changes, and I don't think this is a story we necessarily have to tell others."

"Agreed. Nothing's significantly changed here. We will only tell them if we have to," Agdar replied.

"Yeah, I don't think anyone's gonna ask us if we met another version of Elsa and saved Arendelle by visiting trolls and finding out about a necklace," Anna joked.

Elsa shook her head with a grin before taking her sister's arm in hers. "Come on, you're coming with me. You'll tell them the story."

"Me? Elsa, I can't!"

"Why not? You were perfectly fine just now, why can't you go out and do it again?"

"B-because. . . I think I have stage fright!"

With a snort, Elsa nudged Anna with her elbow playfully. "Nonsense. You've never been on a stage in your life. You'll be fine, I have faith in you."

After giving the older girl a glare through narrowed eyes, Anna let out a dramatic sigh. "Okay, fine. But don't laugh if I get all nervous and flustered."

"I would never laugh."

"Oh, _that's_ a lie!"

A squeaking could be heard out in the hall, someone slipping against the floor. Only one person made that noise. . .

"Oh my god. We forgot about-"

Anna's sentence was cut off as the door opened, revealing Olaf sanding there with his signature goofy grin. "Hi guys!"

He waddled into the room, going over to the two sisters and hugging their legs.

"I missed you guys. What happened?"

"We missed you too, Olaf," Elsa replied, love for the little snowman evident in her voice.

"You'll find out soon, I gotta go make a speech with Elsa," Anna chimed in.

"A speech? But I thought you had stage fright?"

"Hah! See, Elsa!" Anna crossed her arms triumphantly, a confident smirk on her face.

"Oh wait, never mind, that's what you told me to say if Elsa or your parents ever made you do a speech. Sorry, Anna!" Olaf didn't look sorry at all as he pulled away and patted Anna's leg in pity before running to Sven.

Elsa was now the one with the smug smirk on her face, and she pulled Anna along after her. "Come on, we haven't got all day. The people are probably arriving right this minute."

"Never trust a snowman to keep your secret," Anna grumbled as Thomas gave her an encouraging thumbs up, returning it with a stuck-out tongue.

* * *

Kristoff woke up in a sweat.

It was the middle of the night, and just as Elsa had predicted, Anna had been wonderful in delivering her speech.

The family had gathered in the dining room for supper, and then moved to the study afterwards. Thomas had gone home early in order to check on his mother and sister, and Kristoff had snuck upstairs after supper. He was glad that Elsa was too preoccupied with listening to the others that she didn't notice his discomfort. Actually, he wasn't sure what it was either.

At least, until he had fallen asleep.

He had dreamt of that one night, the night that had changed everything for him: when he had been the one to kill Elsa.

Sweat running down his face, he quickly got out of bed and headed for the door, running his hand down his face in order to wipe all traces of sweat away.

No sooner had he gotten to the hallway when he realized that he had no idea where he was going.

He immediately ruled out going to Elsa: she had been through so much, he couldn't bear to add his troubles to hers. Same went for Anna, and he felt a bit uncomfortable at even thinking about talking with Agdar and Idun about what he had been forced to do. Thomas was gone, and Sven was most likely sleeping, Olaf with him.

With a sigh, he headed for the study, his heavy steps making soft, thumping noises on the rugs as he walked.

When he reached the familiar room, the first thing he saw was a form sleeping on the couch, curled in on itself. Elsa.

He backed up slowly, hand reaching for the doorknob when she stirred.

A strand of her loose hair fell onto her face, and she let out a small sigh.

Against his better judgement, Kristoff grabbed a blanket from close by and draped it over her, knowing that the cold didn't bother her, but knowing that she would appreciate the comforting feeling of a blanket while sleeping.

He turned to leave and was almost out the door when he heard feet hit the floor.

"Kristoff?" she blearily murmured.

"Yeah, it's me." He forced his lips to turn up into what he hoped was a believable smile, and walked over to her. "Sorry for waking you up."

"It's fine." Elsa situated herself so that she took up half of the couch, and patted the spot next to her for him.

Complying, he sat down beside her, hands clasped together as he leaned forward on his knees, staring at a pattern on the rug.

Elsa's hand reached up to touch his hair, ruffling it slightly as she ran her hand over it. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He turned to see her waiting, the never-fading patience in her eyes. "I'm fine."

"Kristoff." Her voice was firmer now. Of course she knew something was wrong, nothing escaped her attention.

Taking one of his hands in hers, she held onto it tightly in both of her own. "You can tell me anything. I'll try to help you to the best of my abilities, just please, don't take this on by yourself."

The glint of light against their wedding bands caught his eye, and his posture relaxed significantly.

Without meeting her gaze, he told her his worries, keeping his eyes locked on their hands the whole time.

When he was finished, he looked up slowly, scared of finding fear there, fear of dredging up a recent, painful memory.

But as always, she surprised him.

Her face was gentle, her eyes bright and kind. "I thought this might happen," she murmured.

"You did?"

"Kristoff, you always feel extreme guilt for the things you do. Even if the one you've hurt has already forgiven you."

Ouch. "Elsa, I-"

"No, I'm sorry. That was a poor choice of words." Leaning forward until she was only inches away from his face, she continued to speak in a low, sedative tone. "Kristoff, there is nothing to feel guilty for. I'm fine. Elise was under the influence of the necklace at the time, and in the end, she was truly remorseful. So why do you still feel guilty?"

"I. . . I was the one who did it. I watched you die, and it was all my fault. Anna didn't have her sister anymore because of me. It'll haunt me forever, and I can't. . . I can't stop thinking about it."

"Hush. It's a thing of the past. You can't blame yourself for something that wasn't your fault."

"You don't understand! You would feel the same way if things were switched, if you watched me die because of something you did!"

Elsa flinched as he unconsciously raised his voice. The sudden flicker of fear in her expression was enough to bring Kristoff back to normal. "God, and now I'm yelling at you too," he muttered under his breath as he began to pull his hand out of her grip.

However, she held on tight, more tightly than before. "Kristoff. I. . . I can't even begin to understand what you're feeling. But I want to help. You're right. I would be feeling the same way. But what would you say?"

He gave her a wry smile. "The same thing you're saying."

She responded with a small nod. "Exactly. We're just going around in circles. You can't blame yourself for this. Everything is fine now. Don't let this mar your future, our future together. I love you. I always will. No matter what happens. Okay?"

Placing his hand on top of hers, Kristoff gave a long exhale. "Alright. And I love you too."

"I know." A corner of Elsa's mouth twitched up, a dimple appearing.

Kristoff shook his head with a grin before pulling her close into a hug. "You always know what to say, and how to make things better."

"Well, those are some of the requirements befitting a Queen. And you're the warmest person I know."

A chuckle escaped Kristoff. "Warm as in temperature, or emotionally?"

"Both. Well, actually, Anna might have you beat in the emotional aspect."

She could feel Kristoff's rumbling laugh as she held onto him tightly.

"You're right. You know, Anna was really brave. Even though she doesn't think so, she could rule Arendelle if she wanted to."

Elsa closed her eyes. "That sounds like her. I only wish she saw herself as such."

"Maybe Thomas'll show her."

"I approve of him. He's exactly what she needs."

"A guard?"

Elsa playfully swatted at his shoulder. "No. Someone to keep her flighty spirit grounded, to show her who she really is when she starts to doubt herself."

"Like you and your parents."

"And you. Also Sven and Olaf. That's why I think Thomas is good for her. Perhaps I'll hear her mention his name in her sleep, seeing as she is quite the sleeptalker."

A memory flickered to life in Kristoff's mind, and he pulled away only to look at Elsa skeptically. "You were in one of my dreams when. . . Elise was here."

"Oddly enough, I had a dream in between the period of my death," here Kristoff winced, "and before I woke up. Did we. . . have the same dream?"

"I dreamt that I found you in one of the hallways, behind some curtains."

"And I asked you to take care of Anna for me."

Elsa's expression of confusion was mirrored on Kristoff's face.

"Do you think we should ask the trolls?" he questioned curiously.

Elsa gave a small hum as she thought over it. "Maybe some things are better left a mystery. It is quite a comfort to find that even in death, you can still be with the one you love."

Kristoff pulled her close to his side, where she leaned her head on his shoulder as she felt sleep wash over her once more.

"I'll always be right here. No matter what, Elsa."


	20. Chapter Twenty

**The end is near!**

**Asteroh1: Gah, I'm sorry. D: Elise's family won't remember since her timeline's been reset, but the people in our version of Arendelle will remember. I thought about having only Anna, Kristoff and Thomas remember, but then I decided that it might cause some problems later on if no one else remembers. It'd be this big thing that they wouldn't want to plague anyone with by telling them what really happened, so I just had them all remember to make things easier. **

**taylorjago: Thank you! I'm going to miss this community. :( I've heard of Foxes and Sam Smith, but none of the others. :o I'll be sure to check them out! Aw, I love you sweetie! :'D Thank you for reading and reviewing, I loved chatting with you! **

* * *

The day of the wedding was drawing nearer, and the kingdom was bustling with excitement.

The ship from Corona had been one of the first to arrive, Princess Rapunzel effervescently greeting her cousins while her husband, Prince Eugene, and Kristoff exchanged knowing glances.

King Frederick and Queen Klara had greeted their nieces warmly, a behavior befitting the climate of their home country, and caught up with Agdar and Idun over various topics.

The wedding day had finally arrived, and Anna ran around with various handkerchiefs in her hand, blowing her nose loudly in the most random of moments as soon as she was hit with episodes of emotion, while her mother first did Elsa's hair, and then struggled to get her youngest daughter to sit still in order to do hers.

The ceremony, however, was magnificent.

Kristoff and Elsa used the same vows they had used at their first, impromptu wedding, and not a dry eye was left in the church.

Even Sven and Olaf had been dressed up. Despite his loud snorts of protest, Sven had been given a bath and made to wear a bowtie, while Olaf strutted around in a top hat and a flamboyant ice-blue bowtie of his own.

At the reception, the stream of compliments and happy wishes didn't seem to cease. The married pair only got some time to themselves when they were dancing, Kristoff blushing and apologizing every few minutes for stepping on Elsa's feet, while she laughed and remarked how she had learned to dance to accommodate his technique.

Ølver Dahl, the old flower vendor and friend of the royal family had been given permission to decorate the grand hall as he saw fit, and everyone was pleased with the way he had draped the flowers here and there. He was, as Anna once said, "on fire".

Anna stood to the side with her parents, flashing Thomas a grin as he stood on the other side of the room. She hadn't been asked to dance yet, as she had been chatting with her family and extended family for most of the night, and watched as her cousin dragged her husband good-naturedly to the floor for a dance.

After whispering in her mother's ear, Anna snuck her way out onto an empty balcony, taking a plate of chocolates with her.

Despite knowing that her family would be worried sick to see her do so, she sat on the edge of the balcony, overlooking the rest of the castle. She had just stuffed the third one into her mouth when the doors opened behind her.

Turning around swiftly with her cheeks stuffed with chocolate, her face turned bright red as she saw Thomas standing there.

After a few awkward seconds of garbled speech, she swallowed down the chocolate painfully before beaming at him. "Hey! Came to join the party of one out here?"

"Yep. Why'd you come out here by yourself?" Thomas sat down near her, but still a respectable distance away.

Anna scooted a few inches closer, picking up the plate and setting it on her lap. "I just wanted some fresh air. And to be able to eat my chocolates in peace, but I guess not."

Thomas knew she was kidding from her tone, and swiped one of her chocolates, throwing it into his mouth before she could protest.

"Hey! You know, I could have you imprisoned for that mister."

"Wow, Chocolate Princess. Quite the tyrant."

"That's Red Chocolate Princess to you, Mr. Hat."

Both burst out laughing at the nicknames, laughing even harder when an un-ladylike snort escaped from Anna.

"Okay, but seriously, why did you come out here? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I just. . . I dunno, this all seems really weird. You know?"

"Yeah. I do."

Both sat there silently, remembering the recent events.

Anna cleared her throat before moving her now empty plate to the side. "So, how's your mother and Mimmi?"

"They're great. Mama's feeling better now that she knows you're okay. Mimmi's both amazed and jealous that she missed out on everything."

"Guess I'll have to pay them a visit."

Thomas gave a dramatic groan. "So you can all gossip and giggle for hours?"

"Hey, keep complaining and you might end up seeing me at your house more often," Anna teased.

"I'm fine with that."

His honest response caught them both off guard, Anna staring in shock with her mouth agape while Thomas quickly averted his gaze, focusing on the doors' rosemaling.

"Hey. If it makes you feel better, I like seeing you around too."

He looked back to see Anna watching him, a bright grin on her face. She was beautiful, absolutely radiant under the light of the stars.

Repositioning his seat so as to be able to see her more clearly, Thomas took his hat off and kneaded the brim gently between his hands. "I-I, um, I was wondering if I-"

His words were cut off as Anna leaned closer and pressed her lips to his, pulling him closer to her by the lapels of his coat as the taste of chocolate washed over them.

She pulled away after moment, leaving only their noses touching. Her sheepish laugh elicited a genuine one of his own.

"Sorry if I scared you," she apologized, not sounding the least bit sorry. Of course she had enjoyed herself.

"I'm okay. Although, how did you know what I was gonna ask? What if I was going to say something else?"

The girl's teal eyes widened in surprise before a faint pink spread across her cheeks. "Oh. Haha, I guess I didn't really think about that. Whoops."

Her obvious embarrassment amused him. He touched his forehead to hers gently, gazing at her intently. "Is it too soon to say-"

"I love you?" she hopefully finished.

"Actually, I was gonna say too soon to head back for more chocolate."

"Oh." Anna's expression dropped instantly as she pulled away, patting his lapels down awkwardly as she hopped off of the edge and headed to the door. "Yeah, o-of course not."

_"I'm so stupid, he obviously isn't infatuated with me like I am with him. Maybe this whole thing was a mistake. Maybe I-"_

"Anna."

She spun around quickly, unable to wipe the hurt off of her face before he could see it. "Yeah?"

"Oh." In a second, he had gotten up and walked over to her, remorse in his features. "I'm sorry, it was a joke, I really was going to say it."

"You. . . you what?"

Thomas looked extremely guilty now, well as he might. He had only meant to tease her, and hadn't anticipated this reaction from her.

Anna's fists clenched at her sides as she closed the distance between them, glaring up into his face as he watched this petite girl stomp towards him, a lump growing in his throat.

"First you tell me that we're going to eat reindeer as a joke at your house, and now this! Thomas, you're such a-a. . . agh! I don't know! Why do I fall for your jokes!"

She took his hat from him and threw it to the floor, grinding the heel of her shoe into it as Thomas watched in silence, pale-faced.

"Anna, I'm sorry. I swear, I'll never play a trick on you or joke around or whatever again. Just please. . . don't be mad at me."

Breathing heavily, Anna willed herself to calm down. The soft green of his eyes stared back at her, although they were enlarged by terror. Taking in a deep breath to steady herself, she bit her lip nervously.

"I overreacted again this time, didn't I?"

"Actually. . . this time I think it was justified."

The fact that he was so easily willing to agree with her in order to get back in her good graces tickled her. Her mouth couldn't help but twitch up into it's standard grin as she picked his hat up and placed it back on his head, wiping off any bits of dirt it might have picked up before cradling his face in her petite hands.

"Sorry. I promise not to go all crazy on you next time you play a joke on me and get unintentionally mean. "

"I'm the one who should be sorry. And don't worry, that's the last one. I swear. Guard's honor."

Anna forced a mock pout of disappointment on her face. "But that's what I like about you."

"My jokes?"

"Yep. You know, I'm only here with you because of your bad humor."

Thomas gave a rich, warm laugh. "Okay, now who's the one being unintentionally mean?"

"Who said it was unintentional?" Anna replied innocently.

Leaning forward with a smile, Thomas kissed her once more, holding her closely to him by the waist while Anna felt all of the excitement and merriment inside of her just waiting to burst. _"He's kissing me! He's really kissing me!"_

After Thomas pulled away, she looked up at him with an eager expression. "Say it."

She almost choked as she fought to stifle a laugh at his befuddled expression. "Say what?"

"What you were gonna say before I messed up your hat."

"Oh." As soon as realization dawned on him, he gave a small cough. "Okay. Here we go."

"We? I already said it. Hurry up, Mr. Hat."

"I'm going to," he grumbled good-naturedly as a flush fell upon his face. "I love you."

"What? What'd you say? Can't hear you, guess you'll have to do it again." Anna gave an audible laugh this time as he rolled his eyes.

"Okay. I love you. There, hear me this time?"

"Mm, try one more time."

"You're really enjoying this, aren't you?" Thomas asked with narrowed eyes.

"Don't mess with a princess, otherwise she'll end up embarrassing you."

"Who said I was embarrassed?" he asked in a feeble attempt to hide what was obviously true.

"No one had to say anything, your face tells it all."

"I love you! There, did you hear me this time?"

Nodding her head as the giggles flowed out of her, she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him closely to her. "I love you too."

As he hummed in agreement, she could feel it rumble throughout him.

She swiftly pulled back, taking his hands in his as she walked backwards, heading for the doors. "Come on!"

"Where are we going?" By this point, Thomas had learned to just roll with whatever Anna wanted to do. The girl was an unstoppable force of nature.

"We've gotta go tell everyone else how much you love me. Elsa and Mama are gonna be so happy! Kristoff'll be happy to have another guy to talk to, and Papa might try to scare you, like he said he would when we talked about suitors and stuff. But don't worry, I made him promise not to challenge anyone to a duel."

"W-wait, a duel?" Thomas sputtered out as Anna pulled him back towards the others.


	21. Epilogue

**One year later. . .**

The royal family of Arendelle now lived in peace. As a token of gratitude, the guard Thomas was given the title of knight for his service towards protecting Princess Anna, Prince Consort Kristoff and Arendelle. He and his family were given a comfortable home in the center of the town, where they would be able to get help, should they eber need it, and be closer to their new friends.

Mrs. Stordahl was continuing to get better, and was even helping out Miss Lise at the orphanage every other day. Minmi had returned to school, and although she was behind in her studies, she went back to them with an amazing vigor.

**Although many changes had come about, there are still more we have yet to see. . .**

* * *

"Oh, look at him! He's so cute!"

Elsa gave her cousin a smile of thanks as she held her child in her arms, Kristoff by her side and looking over her shoulder as both stared down at their child. His bright-blue eyes, exact copies of Elsa's stared back up at them.

"Yeah, little Agdar number two is going to be quite the troublemaker. I can see it already," Eugene remarked as he played with the baby's tiny toes, making cooing noises.

The princess and her husband of Corona had come to visit after hearing of the birth. King Frederik and Queen Klara had to stay behind to deal with a situation, but sent their best wishes to the newborn and promised to come visit soon. Rapunzel and Eugene had come right away as soon as they heard, always ready for travel. They had taken a trip through Europe, bringing back all sorts of interesting trinkets.

"I thought you said you would never be seen making baby noises," Rapunzel asked teasingly as she watched her husband enjoy himself.

"This baby's an exception. Isn't that right little Agdar? Or are you guys gonna call him something else, since we already have an Agdar around?"

Elsa repositioned the child in her arms, pushing a tuft of his wispy, flaxen-colored hair back. "Although we did name him after Papa, we'll call him by his middle name."

"Which one? Don't royals have like, a million middle names?" Eugene asked before giving a grunt as his tiny wife elbowed him in the ribs.

Kristoff chuckled as he held a finger out to his son, the child soon wrapping his hand around it. "Yeah. This little guy's Prince Agdar Felix Linus Christiansen of Arendelle. But we'll call him Felix."

The group was standing in the gardens in the summer air, taking the newborn out for a walk.

The sound of running feet approaching them caught their ears, and Elsa was the first to turn and see her sister running towards her with what appeared to be a bundle of blankets in her arms, Thomas close behind.

"Anna? Where's-"

Elsa's anxious tone was quickly cut off by Anna's deep breathing. "W-we're okay. She just _-inhale-_ wanted to see her parents again."

Holding the blankets out for the others to see, Rapunzel gave a small squeal of delight as another child's face peeked out at them.

"Elsa, Kristoff! _Twins!_ You didn't tell us you had another baby!"

Laughing at the brunette's evident surprise, Elsa watched as Anna handed the blonde baby over to Kristoff. The burly man handled his other child with a gentleness no one would have imagined him capable of a month prior.

"What's her name?" Eugene asked curiously, ignoring Kristoff's amused expression as he leaned in closely to the baby.

"Princess Asta Idun Birgitta Christiansen of Arendelle," Anna cheerfully spoke. "Mama refused to let her granddaughter be 'cursed' with such an old-fashioned name, but she settled for the middle name. Isn't that right, little Asta?" she cooed as she wiggled her finger in front of the infant's face.

"Asta?" Rapunzel asked. "Doesn't that mean love?"

"Yes," Elsa serenely replied. "Love."

She and sister exchanged a knowing glance, both of them understanding how important love was to their family, whether it be familial or romantic.

"Hey, Thomas!" Eugene exclaimed as he finally looked up from little Asta and enveloped him in a tight hug. "How're you doing? Knight and all that?"

"Hey," Thomas managed to get out as he struggled to break free. "Yeah, doing great. Lots of training. Been teaching some kids up at the orphanage."

"Miss Lise is gonna have your head if Roger gets another cut on his hand again, knight or not," Anna interjected.

"Hey, lighten up Annie!" Eugene finally let go of Thomas, only to rest an elbow on his shoulder as he addressed Anna. "Last time I saw that kid, he was pretty good with a sword."

"Don't call me Annie," she deadpanned.

With a snort or dismissal, Eugene continued to ask Thomas about what he'd been up to recently, while Rapunzel pulled Anna away from Eugene, knowing that her rambunctious cousin was probably picturing getting him back by putting bugs in his soup or something.

"Where's Aunt Idun and Uncle Agdar?" she chirpily asked as she laced her arm through Anna's, making sure that the girl didn't go back to punch Eugene while she wasn't looking.

"Mama and Papa are with the council right now. They should be out soon. They can't stand to be away from the children for long," Elsa replied with a grin.

"Must feel great, getting to abandon your Queenly duties while you're taking care of the kids."

"Oh, she still finds a way," Kristoff mumbled as he fixed the blankets over a fussing Asta, not noticing the look Elsa gave him.

"Yeah. Once, I walked in on her in the study and she had both babies in her arms while she was reading a document. I almost had a heart attack," Anna said. "Although it seemed like Kristoff was gonna have a bigger one when he found out."

"That was only one time, and I was fine. You just startled me when you came in and screamed. I thought something had happened to you," Elsa retorted.

"Yeah, and then you almost dropped Felix."

"But I didn't."

Anna stuck her tongue out at her sister, eliciting a light-hearted giggle from Rapunzel.

The brunette gave a sigh as she looked over the babies once more. "You guys are such great parents. I'm so jealous of you two, I wish I had kids."

"You can still have them," Elsa replied with an optimism akin to Anna's.

"Yeah, but we're always traveling a lot. Being international diplomats for Corona is fun, but we rarely spend any time at home." With a low exhale, Rapunzel patted Anna's hand absentmindedly. "Maybe it's time to head back home and relax for a while."

"Yeah, then-" Anna's suggestion was cut off by a loud gasp to her left. "What? What is it?!"

Rapunzel lifted up Anna's hand, turning it this way and that in order to look at something more clearly. "It's a ring. It's a _ring!_"

"Yes, Punzie, it's a ring," Anna teased as her ecstatic smile mirrored that of the other girl's.

"You know what I mean! It's an engagement ring! You guys don't tell me anything!"

"We were gonna wait and make it a surprise for when you came to visit," Anna said as she was pulled into a tight hug, Rapunzel jumping up and down in excitement.

"Wait, Red Princess is getting married?" they heard Eugene exclaim a few feet away.

Ignoring Elsa and Kristoff's snorts and chuckles, Anna rolled her eyes. "I knew I shouldn't have taken him to meet the kids at the orphanage. Not only do they basically worship him and follow him around, they've taught him their nicknames for us," she grumbled.

"Red Princess is getting married to Mr. Hat!" Picking up both Rapunzel and Anna despite the girls' protests, he swung them around a few times before setting them down. "Mr. Hat, you didn't say anything about this!"

Thomas shook his head with a smile as he joined the others. "I don't even wear the hat anymore, Eugene."

"I don't care, you'll always be Mr. Hat to me." Looking over at Elsa and Kristoff, he added, "And you guys'll always be Snow Queen and Reindeer King. I'll have to think up some nicknames for the kids. Hah, they're not laughing at the nicknames now, are they?"

Sure enough, the couple's merry faces were soon replaced with ones of slight annoyance, although Elsa still loved her cousin-in-law, and Kristoff could never find it in his heart to be mad at Eugene for long.

"When did this happen? Tell me everything!" Rapunzel gushed as she took Anna's hands in her own, glancing down every now and then to admire the simple ring.

"Last March, on my birthday."

Rapunzel's face was instantly drained of all emotion. "Y-you got engaged in March? It's August right now. . ."

Anna gave her an apologetic grimace as she watched her cousin's eyes start to fill. "I'm sorry, it's just that you were away, and then when Aunt Klara got sick for a month I didn't feel like it was the right time, and-"

"But Anna, _w-why?_ I'm. . . I'm the only one who didn't know, right? That's what Mama and Papa were smiling about when they told me you guys had more news before we came here! Everyone else knew!"

"I didn't know," Eugene interrupted.

Raising her hand to him without even looking in his direction, Rapunzel kept her piercing green eyes on her cousin's. "I thought you loved me."

Everyone was quiet now, even the twins who had been cooing and squawking at nothing in particular for the past five minutes.

"Punzie, I do love you. You have to believe me. I'm so sorry, the next time something happens, I'll tell you right away. Promise."

Rapunzel stared blankly at her cousin before embracing her once more. "I can't stay mad at you. When you find out you're pregnant, I want to be the first one to know after you tell Elsa, Thomas, and Aunt Idun and Uncle Agdar."

"Why am I second?" Thomas asked.

Kristoff nudged him with his elbow. "Hey, at least you're on the list."

Rapunzel dismissed this with a wave of her hand. "Thomas, you know just like all of us that Anna and Elsa go to each other first before they tell the rest of us. And Kristoff, we know that once Elsa knows, she'll tell you."

Both men shrugged by way of agreement.

"Wait, I'm not even married yet," Anna replied breathlessly.

"We have to prepare for the future! So, promise?"

Relieved to have her back to her usual, bubbly self, Anna took the girl's pinky and shook it by way of agreement. "Promise."

"Where's the grandchildren?" a merry voice could be heard calling.

A hand pushed through a clump of tree branches, and soon Agdar and Idun had joined them.

"Rapunzel," Idun greeted her niece with open arms. "Was that you we heard yelling before?"

The princess' face took on a rosy hue, obviously forgetting that others could hear them.

"Yep, that was her," Eugene supplied. He gave a small shrug, almost as if saying _"What? She asked,"_ when Rapunzel stared daggers in his direction.

Idun released Rapunzel and went to embrace him while Agdar took the twins from a protesting Elsa and Kristoff, claiming that they deserved a break. The twins' matching blond heads, although of a lighter color, didn't contrast with the older man's golden-auburn hue.

"Oh my God."

Eugene was staring at the two children in Agdar's sturdy arms. "Quick, can those kids do the magic too?"

"It's too early to know," Elsa replied as she leaned against Kristoff while he wrapped an arm around her waist. "Mama and Papa didn't know I had it until I was about a year old."

"But we'll love them, no matter what," Kristoff added with a gentle squeeze of her arm.

"Yes," Agdar agreed as he looked from one child to the other. "They've already gotten us wrapped around their little fingers now, it's too late to go back. Isn't that right, my dears?"

Elsa placed a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle, and her mother went over to Agdar's side, ready to take the twins when we was done with his baby-talk.

"I should head home now, Mama and Mimmi will be waiting for me before they start supper," Thomas spoke up.

"Okay." Anna gave him a loving smile before he kissed her tenderly, eliciting a gag from Eugene.

"Oh, come on. You're telling me you don't want kisses anymore?" Rapunzel asked disbelievingly.

"Don't get me wrong, I love kisses from you. But I don't enjoy watching others exchange spit, or others getting their spit on you. What Pascal does doesn't even count as a kiss, that's just like a violation of my ear." He gave a great shudder as he remembered all of the times the chameleon had woken him up by attacking his ear.

Ignoring the other conversation, Anna pulled away only to mess up Thomas' hair playfully. "Tell them I say hi."

"I will. They'll probably ask you to come over, probably with Elsa again too." Although it had taken quite a while, the two sisters had gotten Thomas to call Elsa simply by her first name, no titles needed when they were the comforts of their own private time.

"Another night of girly gossip and chocolate? Sounds good to me."

With a grin and a final peck to the cheek, Thomas made his goodbyes to the rest of them and left.

Asta started to cry, tears falling from her brown eyes and soon after, Felix chimed in also, their wails a harmonious symphony.

"Here, dear. Let me take Felix and we can put them back in bed," Idun murmured as she took the squirming baby into her arms.

"We'll be upstairs with them," Agdar told Elsa and Kristoff with a look of reassurance.

"Thank you, Papa," Elsa called after them.

"Hey, Kris. Now that the parents aren't here to see, you wanna have another race around the kingdom like last time? You and Sven versus me and Max?"

Kristoff's face lighted up immediately, the prospects of a race overshadowing his annoyance at the use of the nickname. It quickly fell as soon as he realized that Elsa was watching him, arms crossed.

"Elsa, I-"

"It's fine. I don't know anything about it. However, if Mama and Papa find out that you wreaked havoc on the kingdom by knocking over items and yelling like hooligans, I won't be there to help you." She raised an eyebrow teasingly.

"Okay, that time, it was mostly Eugene and Thomas making all of that noise and-"

"That's so not true! I call bullsh-"

"Shh!" The three girls simultaneously shushed him, Rapunzel going so far as to slap her hand over his mouth while Anna looked around frantically, searching for any sign of others nearby.

As soon as Rapunzel let go, Eugene's boisterous voice filled the air again. "What?! I bet you Kristoff's said that before, and you didn't slap him in the face!"

"One, Kristoff's not my husband," Rapunzel replied in an all-knowing voice.

"Plus, I've been more careful since the twins came," the man in question added.

"Except for that one time when you tripped while carrying Felix," Elsa calmly replied in a sing-song tone.

Kristoff blushed furiously before shaking his head, as if trying to shake the memory off. "Okay, once. But it's not like he'll remember."

Rolling her eyes, Elsa gave his arm a playful shove. "Go. Before it gets dark and we have to send a search party out for you."

With a grateful expression, Kristoff kissed her quickly before running to the barn, Eugene shouting in protest about unfair head starts and sprinting after him.

"I'll go too, just to keep an eye on them. You mind if I take Espen?" Rapunzel asked Anna.

Shaking her head, Anna stood by her sister as they watched the girl go after them. "Win the race for us!" Anna yelled after her, to which Rapunzel replied with a thumbs-up.

"Well, now that leaves two of us," Elsa spoke, the relief in her voice tangible.

Seeing Anna's surprised face, she backtracked quickly. "Not that I don't love having family around, but since the twins came, sometimes the crowd can be a bit. . . oppressive. It's nice to have a bit of quiet solitude."

Taking Anna's warm hand in hers, Elsa began to lead them through the gardens back to the castle.

"You know, you don't have to stay behind with me. I'm perfectly fine on my own, you should go enjoy your time with them."

Nudging her sister's shoulder confidingly, Anna regarded her with a look of such sisterly love, Elsa pulled her even closer. "But I like to spend time with you, Elsa. Really. I mean, sometimes you're not the most fun and all you really wanna do is just read a book all day, but I really do like being with you. Honest."

With a wry smile, Elsa gave a small laugh. "Thanks. I'm glad to know I'm not the fun sister."

"Oh, you know what I mean."

The two continued on in silence until they came to the edge of the gardens, a door to the castle open and waiting for them.

"Elsa?"

The blonde responded with a low hum.

"Are you going to tell Felix and Asta about. . . you know, everything we've been through?"

Holding onto her sister's hand tightly, Anna pulled them to a halt, frantically searching the elder's face for any signs of an impending anxiety attack.

To her surprise, no sign of any random bursts of magic appeared. A small furrow had formed between Elsa's eyes, but she met Anna's gaze calmly. "Kristoff and I have talked about this, and we believe that they have a right to know, someday. We'll wait until they're older, or if they ever ask, whichever comes first. But they deserve to learn about their family history, both good and bad."

Anna nodded in response. "I thought you'd say that."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I dunno, I guess I just. . . it still doesn't feel like our family has been through all this. Weird, jealous princes and jealous sisters from other worlds who actually turn out to be just misunderstood, I mean it's crazy!"

"That's why I'm glad to have you. You're practically the Queen of Crazy."

"Okay, if we're gonna get all literal, then you're the Queen. So that makes _you_ the Queen of Crazy. Hah!"

Elsa rolled her eyes in jest as Anna poked her triumphantly, willing to let her little sister win this round.

"I just hope the twins are as close as we are," she murmured softly, the harmonious, lilting tone of her voice making Anna a bit drowsy, especially after the recent excitements.

"Don't worry. They've got us for a great example. Plus, with everyone else in the family already drooling over them, especially Kristoff and Papa, they're gonna be completely smothered in love!"

"Kristoff doesn't-"

Anna's look of disbelief cut Elsa off. "Okay, fine. He does drool a bit."

"A bit? When I went to go wake you guys up that one time, the pillow was practically drenched in it! And you kiss that mouth!"

Elsa shuddered before shaking her head. "Not exactly drenched. It was more of a small puddle. And yes, I do. He isn't a slobbering mess while he's awake."

"Say what you want, he's still a slobbery-reindeer man."

"At least he isn't a blundering, clumsy man. You and Thomas make quite the match."

Elsa giggled softly as Anna's mouth scrunched itself together, as if to hold the words back as her face grew warm. "Hey, Thomas isn't that clumsy."

"He knocked over one of Mama's vases."

"On accident! It's a good thing it didn't have any emotional value, otherwise he would've been toast."

"Just keep him away from vases. I can't even begin to imagine the damage both of you would case should we leave vases in all of the hallways and rooms."

A bird squawking overhead as it flew by caught their attention. Breathing in deeply so as to take in as much of the sea air as she could, Anna let out a sigh of content. "I wish things could stay like this forever."

"Me too," Elsa agreed, lifting her face to the sun to let the rays warm her face. "But then again, there are more adventures awaiting us."

Anna beamed at her sister, mouth stretched broadly in happiness. "You're quite the poet. You know, if this Queen thing doesn't work out, you can become a poet instead."

"I think I'll have to pass up on your offer. I shudder to think of what the kingdom would come to in your hands."

Laughing as Anna stuck her tongue out at her, Elsa took her hand on e more and started to head back inside. "Come, I have a surprise for you."

"Is it chocolate?"

"No. Although Kai did say that we should be expecting the next shipment soon, in about a week."

"That's so not soon. Are you and Kristoff hiding the chocolate from me again?"

"No. And last time, Papa was the one hiding it for his own consumption."

"Oh. Right. Okay, what is it?"

"Oh, you'll have to wait and see."

_"Elsaaaa! _Tell me! Other wise I'll pull a Rapunzel and make you feel all guilty."

Narrowing her eyes until only a bit of the sparkling blue color could be seen, Elsa relented. "Fine. It's about your wedding dress."

"You made me one!"

"Well, actually, Mama and I were going to have you try on her dress. However. . ." Elsa placed a dainty finger to her chin as she thought. "Perhaps I could add some changes to accommodate your taste. The you'll have something borrowed and something new. And possibly blue, depending on what you want me to add, but-"

Elsa's musings were interrupted as Anna threw her arms around the girl, tears filling her eyes as she realized that her cheeks would be aching later from all the smiling that had occurred in that single day.

"I love it already! Can we go get Mama now and work on it?"

Delighted to find that Anna was truly excited, Elsa pulled away gently, a bright grin on her face. "Of course. Let's go."

Anna giggled as she led the way this time, chattering away as her effervescent voice filled the halls, bringing in a new light.

"Oh, Punzie's gonna be so mad that we started without her!"

"She'll be fine, I'll make her a dress of her own. She'll forget she was ever mad as soon as she sees it."

As the castle came to life, awakening to the sound of the girls' joyful conversation with plans for the future, those who heard them as they ran through the halls couldn't help but smile.

The love shared between the two was a special bond, one that had been duplicated in the form of two new children, and which it would be just as strong as the former's.

Arendelle was a kingdom of peace, and love, something represented by the everlasting bond of the two sisters.

Their story would be one to be told for years to come.

* * *

**Final name analysis, this time for the twins.**

**• Agdar Felix Linus **

**- Agdar: brave warrior**

**- Felix: happy, lucky**

**- Linus: flaxen-haired (just like his papa. :D)**

**• Asta Idun Birgitta**

**- Asta: love**

**- Idun: rejuvenation **

**- Birgitta: strength**

**And we have reached the end of this story! I hope you guys have enjoyed this as much as I have! It was truly amazing to have you all here, visiting and reading and leaving reviews. Sadly, I will not be returning to Fanfiction anytime soon. No matter what happens, I am sincerely grateful for all of the love you guys have given this story.**

**Oh, have a great (and safe) Halloween! :D**

**Once again, thank you all for your support. :) **


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